


Take My Hand

by kh_94



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Hollstein AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 04:30:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2759681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kh_94/pseuds/kh_94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla is a photography student at the University of Chicago, Laura is the girl she's noticed around campus. This is the story of where it goes from there.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Carmilla stood facing the horizon, her eye pressed against the viewfinder of her camera. The sun was just rising, casting the sky in a magnificent golden colour.

_Click._

Carmilla captured the view before her and as satisfying as taking photos were, it was always the moment afterwards that she reveled in the most, where she would lower her camera and take in the sight for herself. No matter how much she loved photography, photos could never capture the essence of being in the moment and seeing something, in the flesh, with your own eyes. The best photos, in her opinion, came closest to capturing that essence and it was still something she was learning to do.

She took a deep breath and took in the crisp morning air that Chicago had to offer. She shivered slightly, only now noticing how cold it really was; she was used to cold temperatures – she was from upstate New York after all – but staying up all night did her body no favors in retaining warmth. She put her camera back into its bag and pulled her coat tighter around herself as she reached into her pocket for her phone.

_7:23am._

Carmilla slid her phone back into her pocket and took one last look at the view before turning and heading back towards campus. Her first class of the day was at 8am and she found herself feeling grateful, yet again, that Promontory Point was so close to the university; she had ventured to The Point frequently ever since freshman year and it was those first dozen or so trips that she would get so wrapped up in her thoughts and her photography that she was late to class, although by no more than a few minutes, thankfully. By now, though, Carmilla was so accustomed to her trips that she could feel when it was time to leave and a glance at her phone would almost always prove her right.

Although there were a few people who were braving the November weather to get in their morning exercise, it was mostly quiet as Carmilla made her way back to her dorm. She always enjoyed the walk almost as much as The Point itself; there was something about a busy city like Chicago enveloped in the quiet of the morning, with the sky slowly becoming lighter and the hum of activity only just beginning.

Carmilla turned her key in the lock and stepped into her dorm room, not surprised to find that her roommate, Danny, wasn’t there. Danny’s bed was already made and her backpack was missing from its usual spot, indicating that she had already left for class, the gym, or one of the many clubs that she was a member of. Carmilla walked over to her own bedside table and put down her camera, noticing a cup of coffee with a note.

_Thought you might need this today after what I’m assuming was another all-night photography session. You seriously gotta get your sleep pattern in check! Before you worry too much, yes, it’s an Americano with one sugar. Such a coffee purist. I’ll see you later! – Danny_

Carmilla smiled and took a swig of the coffee. She had only met Danny this semester when they were put together as roommates and even though they were wildly different, they got along great and had become fast friends, much to Carmilla’s surprise; Carmilla wasn’t antisocial by any means but she liked to keep to herself and she never imagined herself getting along with someone like Danny, who was outgoing and athletic.

After running a brush through her hair and checking her appearance in the mirror, Carmilla collected her books and put them in her bag. She was starting to feel the effects of staying up all night but the coffee was helping and she only had two morning classes today, meaning she could come back and sleep afterwards. She supposed that Danny was right and she should really get herself on a normal sleeping schedule – since who knows what hell she was doing to her body – but Carmilla always had an affinity for the night and years of a habit was hard to break. Grabbing her bag and her coffee, Carmilla headed out the door.

*****

Three hours later and Carmilla was standing in line at the coffee cart, desperately needing another caffeine fix even though her day was effectively over. She thought her two classes would be a piece of cake but staying focused proved more difficult than she had thought and now she was definitely crashing. The thought of the caffeine being unnecessary since she was headed back to her dorm anyway came into her head briefly but logic was not her friend right now and coffee was the beacon of light, ergo coffee won out.

She reached the front of the line and placed her order, throwing a few coins on the counter. As she waited for her coffee to be made, Carmilla looked out across the campus. It was not yet noon but the sun was beaming down and it was a nice contrast to the crisp, cold air. From where she was standing, Carmilla could see the softball team gearing up for practice and even though sports were never her thing, she could admire the tenacity they had for having an outdoor practice – the sun might be out but to say that it was even remotely warm would be completely wrong.

She watched the team run through some drills and when one of the girls started jogging away from the group, Carmilla’s eyes naturally followed. She saw that the girl – a redhead – was running towards her friend, who was walking towards the field with a smile on her face and she was holding some kind of book out. Carmilla recognized the friend, a light-brown haired girl she had noticed around campus, although they had never met. She watched the interaction between the redhead and her friend, surmising that the redhead had forgotten her book and the brown haired girl was jokingly ribbing her for it. Carmilla noticed that the way the brown haired girl’s face lit up whenever she laughed and a small smile subconsciously crept up on her own face.

Carmilla’s attention was diverted back to the coffee cart when the barista called that her order was up. She grabbed the coffee and thanked him, making her way over to a nearby bench instead of the route back to her room; she could delay sleeping by a few minutes to enjoy the sun, which was a rarity during this time of year. She checked her phone and quickly texted back a reply to her best friend, Will. Will had opted to go to Pittsburgh for college since it was closer to New York and even though they talked frequently, Carmilla missed actually being able to hang out with him whenever she wanted. The distance was easier now since they both had a year of college – and a year of being away from each other – under their belts but it was still hard sometimes, considering that they had lived only five minutes away from each other ever since they were 7 years old.

Carmilla finished off the last of her coffee and threw the cup away. She was feeling less tired than before – she didn’t know whether it was because of the coffee or the weather – but that didn’t really mean much considering how tired she really was. She grabbed her bag and headed towards her dorm, crashing onto her bed as soon as she made it in the door.

*****

Carmilla woke as she heard keys jingling in the lock and then the door itself opening.

“I would say ‘I told you so’ but I think I’ve said it so many times that it’s redundant now,” Danny remarked with a smirk as she walked through the door and saw Carmilla lying face down on the bed.

Carmilla grunted in response and slowly turned so that she was lying on her side facing Danny, her eyes still half closed. “What time is it?”

“Uh, 5:30,” Danny replied as she checked her watch. “Have you been sleeping the whole day?”

Carmilla rubbed the sleep from her eyes and shuffled up to the lean on the wall behind her bed. “Yep, pretty much. Back from basketball practice, Kobe?”

“That’s original. And it was track today, for your information.”

“You do know that an athletic scholarship is only for one sport, right? Like you don’t have to do all of them?” Carmilla teased good-naturedly.

“You’re full of jokes for someone who looks like they came back from the dead. Sticking with just basketball would be fine but where’s the fun in that?” Danny shrugged.

“That’s what I’ve thought my entire life: ‘Where’s the fun in sports?’ I don’t know how you do it, Lawrence.”

“Well, I don’t know how you stay up all night taking photos so I guess we’re even, Morticia.”

Carmilla dramatically put a hand over her heart and opened her mouth in feigned offense. “Hey! That is insulting, Lawrence.”

Danny scoffed and raised her eyebrows. “Have you seen you? You and her are basically identical twins. Plus, she’s not even a bad character so take it as a compliment.”

“I am not witchy and dark,” Carmilla insisted. She paused and reconsidered. “Wait, am I?”

Danny turned away from her wardrobe and rolled her eyes amusedly at her roommate. “Geez, Karnstein, I was kidding. If you must know, you’re definitely not witchy but you can be dark and broody. The first time I met you, you didn’t give off a mean vibe or anything but you’re kind of intimidating, if you haven’t noticed.”

Now it was Carmilla’s turn to scoff. “Me? Intimidate you, the six foot Amazon? Please.”

“It’s so not about the height. It’s just this… feeling you give off. I don’t know how else to explain it. But don’t get me wrong, you’re super cool and nice.”

“Well, thanks, Lawrence. You’re super-duper as well,” Carmilla replied with a smirk and a hint of sarcasm.

“Oh, shut up,” Danny responded as she turned back towards her wardrobe. “So I’m going out with some of the softball girls tonight. You want to join?”

“Thanks, but I was actually thinking about calling Will for a bit and then heading to The Bean to take some photos.”

Danny turned away from her wardrobe for the second time and looked at Carmilla. “Seriously? Come on, Karnstein. It’s Friday night and it wouldn’t kill you to meet some new people. Come out with us.”

“Hey, I have no problem meeting new people and I am perfectly happy to spend Friday night on my own. Which sad sap was so insecure that they declared Friday nights had to be for going out?”

“Maybe the person wasn’t a sad sap but instead was someone who just wanted to have fun after a long week? You and I haven’t hung out outside of this room in a while so that’d be nice as well.”

Carmilla sighed. She couldn’t say no when Danny was playing the ‘good roommate’ card on her. Ok, so not so much as playing a card but just actually being a good friend and roommate. “Fine, fine. Where are we going?”

“Yes! We’re going to a bar where they’re super lenient on the ID checking and we’ll see where it goes from there. You’ll have fun, alright? Scout’s honor.”

“I wouldn’t make any premature promises if I were you. I know we get along but I don’t know about the rest of your athletic squad… We don’t really have much in common,” Carmilla frowned.

“They’re really cool. You’ll see. I’ll even buy your first beer,” Danny grinned.

“Ok, cool it, Lawrence. I already said I was going,” Carmilla retorted as she rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

“We’re meeting at around 7:30 so we still have a bit of time,” Danny said as she threw some clothes on her bed. She looked at Carmilla and narrowed her eyes. “You should take a shower.”

Carmilla simply responded with a single-fingered gesture, although she knew that Danny was right; she looked like a mess and definitely needed to freshen up. But she had one thing to do before that.

“I’ll be back soon,” Carmilla told Danny as she got up from her bed and headed for the door, grabbing her phone along the way.

“Tell Will I said hi,” Danny responded, not bothering to look up as she continued to decide on her outfit.

*****

“Kitty! How’s everything going?”

Carmilla grinned upon hearing Will’s voice through the phone. “Oh, you know, same old. What about you, Fresh Meat?”

“Yeah, pretty much the same here as well. Tyler and I got into another fight today so I’m glad you called.”

Carmilla held back a sigh. “Again? What was it about this time? You didn’t take out the garbage or something?”

“He thinks I’m cheating on him with some girl from my sociology class, which is totally not true since a) I would never cheat and b) I don’t even know the girl. It’s really kind of ridiculous.”

“Uh, that’s not just kind of ridiculous, Fresh Meat – it’s super fucking ridiculous. Honestly, it seems like you guys have been fighting more than getting along these days. Have you thought about ending it?” Carmilla asked bluntly. She might have been more sensitive if it were someone else but this was Will; he was practically family.

“Carm, come on. We’ve been together for three years. You don’t just end something like that lightly,” Will reasoned.

“He’s accusing you of cheating on him; I think you guys have left the ‘light’ territory. Look, I like Tyler, I really do, but this isn’t good for you. Sometimes people change and you just have to move on.”

“But I still care about him, even if we do fight all the time. He’s Tyler, you know?”

Carmilla heard how small Will’s voice had become and her demeanor softened. “Will, trust me, I know. I was there, remember? But you can’t hold onto past memories and make them fit with the present or the future if they just don’t, you know? You can remember the memories for what they are but don’t ignore what’s happening right now solely because you guys were good in the past.”

There was silence on the other end as Will took in what Carmilla said. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just need a bit more time. I need to be sure.”

“Yeah, of course. I just wanted you to put it on the table as an option. You know I just want you to be happy, right?”

“You’re such a sap sometimes, Kitty.”

“Hey, you’re the one who cried during Ratatouille.”

It was then that Will became defensive. “All he wanted was to become a chef, ok? And he achieved it! What kind of soulless monster wouldn’t find that touching?”

“I liked the movie but come on, Will. There was nothing remotely cry-worthy about it.”

“You just don’t understand emotion. Remy was a _mouse_ and he became a _chef_ ,” Will emphasized. “If that isn’t beautiful then I don’t know what is.”

Carmilla smiled into her phone. “I miss hanging out with you, Fresh Meat.”

“Yeah, talking on the phone just isn’t the same, is it? But Thanksgiving’s coming up. You’re going home, right?” Will asked in a tone that implied any answer other than ‘yes’ would be unacceptable.

“Duh. Missing out on Carol’s renowned stuffing would be a crime in itself.”

“Mom does make a mean stuffing. So you got anything planned for tonight?”

“Danny roped me into going out with her and a few of her softball friends. She says hi, by the way.”

“Tell her I say hi back. If they’re Danny’s friends then you’ll be fine. And one of them could be your type…” Will trailed off suggestively.

“Could you see me dating a softball girl? No, thank you.”

“You’re such a snob, Kitty. But seriously, you need to get back out there. You haven’t dated anyone since Elle.”

“I have dated people since Elle!”

“I meant something more serious than a one-date thing. It’s been over a year, Carm,” Will reminded.

“I know when we broke up, Fresh Meat. It’s not like I’m not over her or something but there just hasn’t been anyone I’ve really been interested in.”

“Well, that’s why Danny has the right idea by asking you to go out with them tonight.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Carmilla brushed off. “Are you doing anything tonight?”

“Tyler and I were going to go to an art exhibit but who knows now. Guess I’ll have to call him. Fingers crossed it doesn’t turn into a fight over the phone.”

“I’m suddenly very grateful for my night, so thanks for that.”

“You should’ve been grateful even before I told you about my night. A night out with a bunch of hot girls? Not exactly punishment, Carm.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know that, asshole. Speaking of, I better get going since I need to get ready. You gonna be ok?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. You go have some fun. I’ll talk to you next week.”

“Call me if you need anything, ok? I know the whole Tyler situation isn’t easy.”

“Thanks, Kitty. You know I will. Don’t worry too much about me.”

“I’m always going to worry about you so that was a pretty pointless thing to say. Talk to you later, Fresh Meat.”

“Yep, talk soon, sis.”

With that, Carmilla ended the call and headed back up to her room. She was worried about Will but she knew he could take care of himself and that he would reach out if he needed to. As she entered the dorm, she saw that Danny was freshly showered with a towel still wrapped her body.

“Will says hi,” Carmilla said as she placed her phone on her desk and walked over to grab her towel and toiletries.

“How’s he doing?” Danny asked, turning to face Carmilla as she toweled her hair.

“There’s some drama going on with Tyler but what else is new. But I think I might’ve directed him down the right track, so that’s something.”

“Oh, that sucks. Him and Tyler were so cute together when they visited you,” Danny frowned.

“Some things just run their course and he needed to be reminded of that. Well, anyway, I’m going to take a quick shower,” Carmilla gestured with her towel.

“Emphasis on the word ‘quick’, Karnstein, which I know is difficult for you. We’re leaving in 30 minutes.”

All Danny was met with was Carmilla’s middle finger as the door closed.

*****

Danny and Carmilla stopped outside a nondescript college bar and Carmilla took in the exterior.

“The Crew, huh? Could’ve used a better name but it doesn’t look too bad,” she commented.

“I’ll take that as it being Carmilla-approved. Come on, I think most of the girls are here already,” Danny motioned towards the door.

They walked inside and found Danny’s friends almost immediately since they took up quite a few tables, compared to the other patrons who only claimed one table per group. Danny greeted everyone and turned around to introduce Carmilla.

“Everyone, this is my roommate, Carmilla,” Danny grinned.

Carmilla stepped out from behind Danny and gave a smile and wave to the group, who all greeted her enthusiastically. Carmilla tried her best to keep up as Danny started listing off everybody’s names but Carmilla knew it was pointless since there was no way she could remember eleven names that quickly. After all the introductions were made, Carmilla and Danny made their way up to the bar, with Danny ordering a beer and Carmilla getting a rum and coke. They walked back to the table with their drinks in hand and Danny took a quick glance around.

“Where’s LaF?” She inquired.

“They just texted that they’re on their way. Typical LaF running late,” Rebecca responded with a shake of her head.

Danny chuckled. “That’s definitely LaF.”

Carmilla nudged Danny to get her attention and whispered in her ear. “They?”

“Yeah, LaF doesn’t identify as male or female so they use ‘they/them/their’ pronouns. Just a heads up.”

“Oh right,” Carmilla nodded.

Danny noticed something in the corner of her eye and straightened as she turned towards the door, raising her voice. “Well, look who it is. Nice of you to join us, LaF,” Danny teased with a smile.

LaF grinned good-naturedly. “Shut it, Danny. It wasn’t me who was late this time.”

“Well, I don’t see anyone with you.”

“She’s just outside taking a phone call, smartass.” LaFontaine turned their attention towards the rest of the group and greeted everyone with familiarity until they got to Carmilla. Carmilla recognized them as the redhead from the field earlier today. “I’m LaFontaine. I’m guessing you’re Danny’s roommate?”

Carmilla turned her head slightly towards Danny. “Geez, Lawrence. Didn’t know you bragged about me to everyone,” she teased before returning her attention to LaFontaine. “Yep, the one and only. I’m Carmilla. Nice to meet you.”

“She’s not bitchy and mean at all – I don’t know what you were on about, Danny. I’m going to get a drink,” LaF said nonchalantly as they threw a wink at Danny and headed towards the bar.

“I hope you know that LaF’s joking,” Danny clarified.

Carmilla gave a small laugh. “Yeah, I figured.”

Carmilla made small talk with a few of the girls who were sat closest to her and she found them to be nice enough. She was settling into conversation with them when LaF came back to the table.

“So a few of you guys already know her but for those who don’t, this is my friend, Laura. She’s the reason I was late.”

Laura narrowed her eyes at LaF but she had a smile on her face. She turned towards the rest of the group. “Yes, I’ll admit it was my fault this time but I think it’s in very poor taste that LaF blames it on me in front of some people who I’ve never met before. Hi, everyone,” Laura waved cheerfully with a grin.

Of course, Carmilla instantly recognized her as the girl she had seen around campus and the girl who was giving LaF their book today on the field. If Carmilla was being truthful, every time she saw Laura around the university, there had been something about Laura that caught her eye for a few seconds more than what could be passed off as just a fleeting look at a stranger. Up close, that was no exception but Carmilla made an effort not to stare. LaF took a seat next to Danny, with Laura sitting next to LaF.

“Hey, Laura, did you end up finding that book for the lit class?” Danny inquired. “I swear I still have it lying around somewhere from last year.”

“Yeah, I did end up finding it. Thanks, though,” Laura smiled.

“Oh, this is my roommate, Carmilla,” Danny introduced, remembering that Laura and Carmilla hadn’t been acquainted yet.

Carmilla gave a friendly smile. “You play softball as well?”

Laura chuckled. “No, not at all. That would end terribly for everyone involved. I just know mostly everyone through LaF here. They dragged me out to one of these things near the start of the semester.”

“And look how well that turned out! See, it’s good to meet new people and you never know what could happen,” Danny nudged Carmilla with her elbow.

“Lawrence, we’re already at the bar and I’m making conversation, so cool your jets. Stop making me seem like a shut-in or something,” Carmilla retorted with a small shake of her head. “Such a lovely first impression of me you’re sending out to everyone.”

Danny raised her hands in mock surrender. “I’m just saying, it’s good to get you away from your camera once in a while.”

“You’re a photographer?”

Carmilla’s attention was turned back towards Laura at the sound of her voice. “Well, no, not really- I wouldn’t really call myself a photographer. I’m majoring in visual arts so it’s for that, but it’s mostly just for me,” she shrugged. “It’s been my hobby ever since high school.”

“Hobby is an understatement; she’d spend every minute with her camera if she could,” Danny interjected. Something piqued her interest from the other side of the bar. “Oh, the dartboard is free. What do you say, LaF? Rematch?”

“Can you handle losing to me again?”

“Oh, it’s so on,” Danny smirked. “We’ll be back in a bit, guys.”

Laura and Carmilla now found themselves with two empty seats between them as LaFontaine and Danny made their way to the dartboard.

“Knowing how competitive they both are, they’re probably going to take a while. Do you just want to move over?” Laura asked.

Carmilla gave a small laugh. “Yeah, sure,” she said as she pushed her drink next to Laura’s and scooted over the seats. “So did you meet Danny through LaFontaine?”

“Kind of. We met during orientation week but we didn’t get to know each other until LaF introduced us during one of these hangout things.” Laura lowered her voice and leaned into Carmilla. “I thought it wouldn’t be my thing either but everyone’s really nice, so keep an open mind,” Laura said as she nudged Carmilla’s shoulder with her own.

Carmilla couldn’t help but smile. “Am I really that bad? I thought I was being pretty pleasant,” she half-joked. “No, but I am having a good time. Everyone seems pretty cool.”

‘Yeah, they really are. And I just met you but you seem pretty alright as well,” Laura teased.

“Thanks for the glowing compliment,” Carmilla chuckled, finishing off the rest of her drink.

“Do you want to get another? I’m almost empty as well,” Laura gestured with her glass.

“Lead the way.”

*****

Danny noticed Laura heading towards the bar, with Carmilla following closely behind. She turned back towards LaF, who was lining up their dart.

“Hey, what do think about Laura and Carmilla?” Danny asked.

“What do you mean?” LaF responded, their eyes still focused on the dartboard.

“Like, do you think they’d be good together?”

LaF tilted their head towards Danny. “Oh, I don’t think Laura would be good with being set up. She hates that kind of thing.”

“Not like setting them up but maybe just nudging them in the right direction… towards each other,” Danny suggested innocently. “Laura’s not seeing anyone, right?”

“She isn’t, but I don’t know, just wait and see if something happens between them naturally before you start meddling. You really think they’d like each other?” LaF asked as they glanced over at Laura and Carmilla talking at the bar.

“Yeah, why not? I think they’d be each other’s type. Plus, they would look cute together,” Danny replied.

LaF returned their attention back to the dartboard. “Ok, then I’m trusting you on this since you know Carmilla and I don’t. You finally getting together with Kirsh has really got you on a love kick, hasn’t it?”

Danny rolled her eyes. “I am not on a ‘love kick’. I just want my two friends to be happy.”

“Yeah, yeah. Your turn, lover girl.”

*****

Over an hour later and Laura and Carmilla were still seated at the bar, not having returned to the rest of the group yet since they got up to get their drinks. They were currently in the midst of a very serious conversation.

“How can you not like dogs? They are so adorable!”

Carmilla laughed. “There are dog people and cat people. I just happen to fall on the feline side.”

“I can’t believe we’ve been talking this whole time and you don’t even like dogs. Now I don’t know how to feel,” Laura joked.

“I guess I should’ve led with that, but I can’t say that I’ve ever thought it would be a deal breaker,” Carmilla threw back easily, checking her phone for the time. “Probably would’ve saved you an hour.”

“I would say it was an hour well spent,” Laura replied, her grin softening into a small smile as her gaze lingered on Carmilla. She cleared her throat and looked back towards the others, who were now divided between the pool table, the dartboard and their original tables. “We should probably go see what everyone else is up to.”

Carmilla followed Laura’s line of sight. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Lawrence might jump on me for not being social enough.”

“She’s just being Danny, looking out for people she cares about,” Laura smiled. “If she does bring it up, I’ll vouch for your very proficient social skills.”

“Well, since you’re doing me such a huge favor, I’ll have to buy you a drink. What will it be?”

“What? No. You don’t have to buy me a drink,” Laura insisted.

“Hey, it’s just a drink – no big deal. So what are you having?”

Laura looked at Carmilla for a few seconds, huffing slightly before giving in. “Fine. I’ll just have a beer.”

Carmilla grinned before she turned towards the bartender and ordered two beers. Without Carmilla’s gaze on her, Laura took the opportunity to look at Carmilla, discreetly studying her profile. However, it wasn’t much of an opportunity since the bartender placed the beers in front of them almost immediately and Carmilla was smiling at her once again.

“You ok?” Carmilla asked with a raised eyebrow, noticing the slight ‘deer in headlights’ look Laura had on her face.

Laura quickly composed herself and grabbed her beer. “Totally fine. Thanks for this, by the way,” Laura said, motioning to her bottle. “Let’s head over to the pool table.”

Danny noticed them approaching, a knowing smile on her lips. “You guys were gone for a while.”

“We were just talking at the bar and I guess we lost track of time,” Carmilla shrugged.

“Uh huh. Well, we were just going to finish up this game and then head to one of the restaurants down the street to grab a bite to eat. That sound good?”

It wasn’t until then that Carmilla realized she hadn’t eaten all day since she had slept through most of it. “Yeah, I’m actually starving so that sounds great.”

Laura nodded. “I’m in.”

*****

Carmilla checked her phone for the time as they all stood outside the restaurant after dinner, surprised that it was almost 11pm. She walked over to where Danny was talking to a girl whose name she vaguely remembered to be Sarah, Sierra, or something along those lines.

“Hey, Lawrence, I think I’m going to head off.”

Danny frowned. “Really? It’s still so early! We’re going to go bar hopping or maybe hit up a few clubs. Come with us! It’ll be fun!”

“Maybe next time. I really had fun tonight, though, so thanks for inviting me out.”

“Ok, fine,” Danny sighed. “I don’t know if I’ll be home tonight since I might crash at Kirsch’s. You get home safe, though.”

“I’ll be fine, Lawrence. You have fun,” Carmilla reassured. “I’m going to say bye to Laura and LaF before I go.”

Carmilla took a look around and found them both just exiting the restaurant.

“Hey, I’m going to head off now. Are you guys going out with the others?” Carmilla asked as she approached them.

“I’m actually meeting another friend for a catch-up so I’m walking with them halfway. Laura was just going to go home,” LaF replied.

“Yeah, the clubbing scene isn’t really my thing,” Laura explained.

“Where do you live?” Carmilla inquired.

“I-House.”

Confusion flooded Carmilla’s features. “Wait, where are you from?”

Laura laughed at Carmilla’s reaction. “Canada, so not exactly international, but still technically international.”

“It makes so much more sense now; I was wondering why you were so nice,” Carmilla joked. “I live in Breckinridge so we’re basically right next to each other. We can walk together.”

LaF breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Laura. “It makes me feel so much better than you won’t be walking alone. I know you insist that you can take care of yourself and that you have bear spray, but still.”

“You are just like Dad sometimes, LaF. I swear he’s rubbed off on you,” Laura responded, rolling her eyes.

The rest of the group started to move and Laura and Carmilla waved goodbye to them as they went. A few moments later, it was just the two of them outside the restaurant.

“So, should we go?” Carmilla asked, putting her hands in her coat pockets to keep warm.

Laura nodded and they headed in the opposite direction of where Danny and the others went. They walked in silence for a little while but it wasn’t uncomfortable by any means, which struck Carmilla as a bit strange; she only felt comfortable in silence with less than a handful of people, and she had known those people for years, not just hours. Maybe it was a feeling that Laura gave off to everyone – that she could make them feel at ease. As they walked, Carmilla noticed she was only about an inch taller than Laura.

“Where are you from?” Laura asked, breaking the silence.

“Uh, upstate New York. It’s practically Canada,” Carmilla quipped. “Where in Canada are you from?”

“I’ve never actually been to New York,” Laura commented. “I’m from a small town just outside Toronto. This is kind of my first venture into a big city – well, living in one, I mean. We used to always go into Toronto a lot on weekends.”

“That could be the plot of a generic romantic comedy: Small-town girl moves to big city, finds herself and love.”

Laura laughed and bumped Carmilla with her shoulder. “Way to generalize everyone from small towns. I kind of had that ‘find yourself’ moment already so there goes your big movie idea.”

“Damn, I was betting on it to make me millions. Guess I’ll have to find another way,” Carmilla said, feigning disappointment.

“I’m sure you’ll survive. You’re all set to become a big-time photographer, right?”

“I don’t know about that,” Carmilla downplayed. “I haven’t really thought about doing this as a job, to be completely honest. It’d be so hard to break into the industry and taking photos has always just been something I’ve done because I love it; I don’t know how I would feel about it being a means to an end.”

“Well, would you be happy doing anything else?”

Carmilla gave it a few seconds of thought before answering. “No, I don’t think I would. I mean, whatever I’d end up doing, I would still have photography as my hobby, you know? It’d always be there.”

“There’s your answer then. It’d be better to try and make it work being a photographer and getting paid for something you love rather than have photography on the side while you’re doing something you don’t love,” Laura concluded.

Carmilla looked over at Laura from the corner of her eye and smiled. “You seem pretty sure about that.”

Laura shrugged. “Just seems like common sense to me.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out, which is why I haven’t picked a major yet. I want to do something that’s about finding out the truth, though, if that makes any sense,” Laura explained, somewhat self-consciously tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Ever thought about journalism?” Carmilla suggested.

“Yeah, I have and I’m actually taking it this semester to try it out. I’ll see how it goes.”

“Can I ask, though, why Chicago?”

“I don’t know, I’ve just always wanted to come to Chicago and college seemed like a great excuse,” Laura answered, looking over at Carmilla. “What’s your reason?”

“I came here a few times with my family when I was younger and I always loved it,” Carmilla answered, looking down at the icy path. “It holds some good memories for me so I thought I’d come back. Visiting occasionally didn’t seem like enough.”

Laura nodded but didn’t say anything in response. Carmilla looked up and noticed they were nearing Laura’s residence hall. An idea popped into her head.

“Hey, are you tired and wanting to go to bed?”

Laura looked over at her, slightly confused. “Uh, not really. Why?”

“I was going to head to The Bean to take some photos. Want to come with?”

The confusion on Laura’s face gave way to a smile. “Yeah, sure. Do you often photograph at night?”

“Night into morning, I guess. I know it’s not the best thing to be doing, and god knows Danny’s lectured me enough on it, but I can’t seem to help it.”

“Yeah, you should probably listen to Danny,” Laura laughed lightly. “But you can’t help it if the night is your calling.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“I would never.”

Carmilla smiled, rolling her eyes. “Before we go, I just have to head to my room to get my camera. Do you need anything from yours?” She asked as they were about the pass the entrance to Laura’s hall.

“No, I’m all set.”

Carmilla nodded and they headed towards Breckinridge. Once they arrived, they made their way up the stairs to Carmilla and Danny’s dorm.

“Won’t be a sec,” Carmilla said as she opened the door, heading for her bedside table.

Laura lingered near the doorway, taking in the surroundings. On Danny’s side, the wall was decorated with some sports posters as well as a wall planner with what Laura assumed was Danny’s schedule. She looked over to Carmilla’s side of the room, which was slightly messier and photographs of landscapes and cityscapes adorned the wall instead of posters. Laura walked next to Carmilla’s bed to take a closer look at the photos.

“Did you take all these?”

Carmilla looked up distractedly from riffling through her drawer. “Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I’m mainly into scenery and stuff like that. Oh, found it!” Carmilla triumphantly held up a memory card before tucking it into a pocket in her camera bag. “Now we can go.”

“These are really good. Like, breathtakingly good. You really downplayed it before; you could definitely do this as a career.”

Carmilla smiled amusedly, like she wasn’t used to someone complimenting her. “Stop flattering me and let’s go,” she said as she slung her camera bag over her shoulder and headed towards the door.

Laura shook her head and followed Carmilla out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm always nervous about people reading my work so feedback would be welcomed and appreciated. I usually don’t write such long chapters but I guess Hollstein brings it out in me. I don’t know if future chapters will be similar in length but what do you guys think about long chapters? Yay or nay?
> 
> I know it's in the tags but I just wanted to say it again if people missed it: Carmilla isn't a vampire and this is just a completely human AU. Also, I-House is short for International House (apparently that's what the students call it), which is the residence hall that Laura lives in. Oh, and now might be a good time to put out a disclaimer: I’ve never been to UChicago or Chicago in general so I apologize for any errors I make. I am trying my best to be accurate but obviously Google is not the best way to get to know a city.
> 
> AO3 doesn't really have a good feedback system so if you have any comments or questions, feel free to hit me up on tumblr at ritaa-volks.tumblr.com
> 
> P.S. I just want to say that it pained me to write this fic with Americanized spelling. British-English is always in my heart.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’ve never actually been here,” Laura commented as she and Carmilla looked at their reflections in the famous bean-shaped sculpture.

Carmilla looked over, slightly surprised. “Really? But basically everyone comes here once they get to Chicago.”

“I know but I’ve only been here for a little over two months and I’ve just been caught up with school, you know? I really do need to take more time to explore the city, though. But I’ll be here for the next four years so I have a bit of time.”

“That you do. I could show you around sometime, let you in on the good spots,” Carmilla offered.

“I bet you know Chicago like the back of your hand,” Laura smiled.

“I already knew the city quite well but going everywhere to take photos over the past year definitely helped me notice all the little things. It’s one of the many things I love about photography.”

“So how does this work?” Laura asked, gesturing to Carmilla’s camera. “Do you just walk around and do your thing or is there a process or something?”

Carmilla chuckled slightly. “Laura, I’m just taking photos.”

“No, but some people have a certain way of doing things,” Laura defended. “I just want to respect your process.”

Carmilla tilted her head and grinned amusedly at Laura. “Well, thank you for being so considerate, but I don’t have a ‘process’. I just take photos of what I see.”

Laura rolled her eyes at Carmilla’s slight sarcasm. “I’m going to walk around while you do your thing,” she announced, turning on heels.

“Wait, give me your phone.”

Laura turned back towards Carmilla, furrowing her brows. “Why?” She asked, although she was already handing it over.

Carmilla started typing into Laura’s phone. “I’m putting my number in your phone in case you get lost.”

At this, Laura became somewhat indignant, although she had a smile on her face. “How far do you think I’m going? And you just assume that I’m bad with directions?”

Carmilla gave Laura back her phone. “Just better to be safe than sorry.”

Laura shook her head, slipping her phone back into her bag and turning to walk around the plaza. Carmilla watched her go for a few seconds before removing her camera from its bag and putting the strap over her head. She walked around the sculpture, occasionally taking a few photos when a certain angle caught her eye.

After she was fairly happy with what she had, Carmilla lowered the camera and looked at the sculpture, seeing the city lights in its reflection. Carmilla had been to The Bean many times before but she still marveled at the reflection it provided and the shape of the sculpture itself. It went without saying that she much preferred it at night than during the day.

From the reflection, she could see Laura walking towards her, with Laura giving her a smile when Carmilla turned her head. Carmilla raised her camera and quickly snapped a photo.

“Hey!”

“What? I didn’t do anything,” Carmilla said, feigning innocence.

Laura huffed slightly but chose to let it go, simply rolling her eyes in response. She looked out over the plaza when she reached Carmilla’s side. “It’s really beautiful here.”

“Yeah, it is. I love it at night time. There’s something about all the lights,” Carmilla agreed, looking around at the buildings surrounding them.

“I can see why you do this at night. I’ve always been more of a day person but this is really nice. I saw that they have an ice skating rink over there but it’s not open. Have you ever been?”

Carmilla shook her head. “No, not to this one. I’ve never been one for ice skating, to be honest. I can stand on skates and make my way around a rink without holding the barrier but I can’t do much else.”

Laura laughed lightly. “I see. Well, I used to skate all the time back home. It’s one of the things I loved about living in a small town; the ponds would freeze over during winter and we always used to just go out and skate,” she recalled, a hint of nostalgia coming over her features.

Carmilla saw the way Laura’s face changed and she made a point to remember this memory that Laura had shared, tucking it safely in the back of her mind. “Is that a Canadian thing?”

“Is what a Canadian thing?”

“Knowing how to ice skate. It seems like all of you know how to do it effortlessly.”

Laura chuckled. “It does seem to be a Canadian thing, doesn’t it? I don’t know about all Canadians but my family knows how to ice skate and so did everyone I went to high school with, so take that as you will.”

“Yep, definitely a Canadian thing,” Carmilla nodded. “So I’m done here but I want to go over to the pavilion to get some photos as well. Do you mind?”

“No, let’s do it. It’s fun seeing all this so feel free to take me wherever you need to go.”

“Ok, come on then,” Carmilla motioned with her head. “You’ll love the view on the Great Lawn.”

*****

Laura stared in awe. “This is stunning.”

Laura and Carmilla were now in the middle of the Great Lawn, facing toward the stage of the pavilion and looking at the view of the city beyond it. Carmilla didn’t say anything in response, simply taking a few photos with her camera. Laura was still enamored with the view and didn’t notice Carmilla take another photo of her before resuming to take photos of the cityscape.

Laura noticed that her mouth was slightly open and closed it, a sheepish expression on her face at the realization. She turned to see if Carmilla had seen her but found that Carmilla was quite a distance away now, her back to Laura and her camera pointed upwards. Laura watched Carmilla at work, noting how serious and focused she was. Laura found herself involuntarily smiling as Carmilla walked from one spot to the next, seemingly in her own zone and ignoring everything but her camera and what was in front of the lens. Laura saw that she was lowering her camera and looking out at the tall buildings of the city so Laura slowly made her way over to where Carmilla was.

“You’re very serious when you take photos,” Laura said as she got closer to Carmilla.

“Am I?” Carmilla asked, her lips quirking up slightly in amusement. “I don’t notice.”

“I can’t imagine that you would when you’re that focused on your photography,” Laura smiled. She shivered a little and bounced from one foot to the other. “You’d think that I would be used to the cold but it still gets me every year.”

“Well, it is pretty late now and there were no clouds today so it’s bound to be colder at night.” Carmilla reached into her bag and pulled out her beanie, holding it out to Laura. “Here. I don’t think it’ll help much but it’s something.”

“Are you sure?”

“Are you always this hesitant to accept things? First, the drink and now this,” Carmilla observed.

Laura rolled her eyes but took the beanie from Carmilla and put it on. “What can I say, it must be my Canadian-ness,” she joked.

Somehow, the beanie made Laura seem even smaller than her already-short stature and Carmilla couldn’t hold back her grin.

“What?” Laura asked, noticing Carmilla’s expression as she finished adjusting the beanie.

“You look so… _tiny_.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t you start on the short jokes, too.”

“I wasn’t making a short joke!” Carmilla insisted. “You just look so cute and little.”

“Ok, I think it’s time to go,” Laura announced, trying to hide her smile as she turned and headed back the way they came.

Carmilla put her camera back into its bag and jogged a little to catch up to Laura.

“You’re not much taller than me, you know,” Laura retorted as Carmilla fell into step beside her.

Carmilla continued looking ahead and said nothing, her lips twitching a little as she tried to hold back a smile.

A beat passed before Laura spoke again. “So, is there anywhere else you need to go?”

Carmilla checked her phone, which confirmed that it was the early hours of the morning. “No, I think that’s it for tonight. It’s getting pretty late and I don’t want to keep you out too long. Thanks for coming with me, by the way.”

“No problem. I had a great time so I should be the one thanking you.”

They walked in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. They could hear the noise of partygoers and the like – it was Friday night, after all – but it was nowhere close by and the quietness of it was somewhat comforting.

“Oh!”

Carmilla looked up at the sound of Laura’s voice and saw that she had stopped outside a diner they were about to pass. As Laura turned to her, Carmilla raised an eyebrow, silently questioning.

“Sorry,” Laura smiled sheepishly. “They have beavertails and it threw me a little.”

Carmilla was confused but she found Laura’s excitement and subsequent bashfulness endearing. “What the hell are beavertails?”

Laura laughed. “It’s a flat donut-y dessert thing from Canada. That description doesn’t do it justice but yeah, that’s what it is.”

“Let’s go in and get one,” Carmilla suggested.

“We don’t have to-“ Laura began but she was cut off by Carmilla.

“You need to stop that,” Carmilla said good-naturedly. “I’m curious now so let’s go.”

She walked towards the door and held it open, waiting for Laura. Laura shook her head slightly but walked through the door.

It was a 24-hour diner and a look around saw that there were only a few tables occupied. Carmilla and Laura were seated at a booth almost immediately by their waitress, a slim woman who seemed to be in her 40s. She gave them their menus and left to give them time to peruse.

Laura looked at menu before glancing across at Carmilla. “Do you just want to share one? I don’t think I could finish one on my own.”

“Yeah, sure. You can pick whatever flavor you want. I’ll trust your judgment.”

“Nutella it is then. I think I’m also going to get an Oreo shake.”

“You sure you should be consuming that much sugar this late?” Carmilla asked, her lips turning up into a smirk.

“We’ll share it as well so it’ll be fine,” Laura reasoned, undeterred.

The waitress came back and took their order, taking the menus with her as she left.

“Hey, can I see the photos you took?” Laura asked.

“Uh, sure,” Carmilla replied, reaching for her camera. “I have to warn you, though – there may be a couple of photos of you in here.”

“I hope it’s only a couple and nothing more,” Laura said, reaching over to grab the camera as Carmilla passed it to her over the table.

She went through the photos and although she knew Carmilla was talented from the photos she saw in Carmilla’s dorm, Laura was still somewhat taken aback by the ones from tonight. Looking through them, she was reminded of when they were there earlier that night and although it was only hours ago, a feeling that can only be described as nostalgia crept up on her. As she kept scrolling, she came across one of the many photos that included The Bean in its entirety but Laura noticed that she was in the corner of the photo, staring up at the sculpture.

“Can I get this one off you?” She asked as she turned the screen to show Carmilla. “It’s such a nice picture of the whole thing and it might be a little vain of me but I like that I’m in the corner. I mean, you can barely tell it’s me but I know, so it makes it more personal.”

“Of course. You have my number so just text me your email whenever and I’ll send it through. After I go through them, I can send you all the best ones if you want,” Carmilla offered.

“Yeah, that’d be good actually, if it’s not too much trouble,” Laura smiled. “What got you into photography in the first place?”

“My granddad, actually. He passed away during my freshman year of high school and I found an old camera while I was going through his stuff. At first, I just kept it because it looked cool but then I started taking some photos with it and it kind of grew from there.”

“I’m sorry about your granddad,” Laura frowned.

Carmilla waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. It was years ago.”

“Yeah, I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier. At least I don’t think so anyway. Were you close with him?”

“Extremely close,” Carmilla replied, her eyes downcast. “He was the one who was always there for me.”

Laura noticed her change in demeanor. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Carmilla gave a small smile and shook her head. “Don’t apologize; it’s not your fault. It’s been so long that I can talk about him without feeling sad but it’s only if I think about him a little longer that it comes back.”

Laura nodded and let her eyes drift to the napkin that she was playing with. Carmilla noticed that there seemed to be more to Laura’s silence than simply being regretful about having asked about a sore subject. She was about to ask if Laura was ok but she was interrupted by the waitress.

“A Nutella beavertail and an Oreo shake with an extra straw,” the waitress announced as she approached the table, an item in each hand.

Laura and Carmilla nodded their thanks as the waitress placed the items in front of them and departed, leaving the two of them in silence once again. Laura seemed to snap out of her reverie and was back to her usual self, enthusiastically reaching for the beavertail and tearing off a piece.

“This is so good,” Laura said after a few seconds of chewing. “Come on, try it.”

Carmilla looked at Laura for a moment before deciding to push away her concern, giving Laura a smile before tearing off her own piece and popping it into her mouth.

“You’re right; this is pretty good,” Carmilla agreed as she tore off another piece. “Why is it called a beavertail, though?”

“Beats me,” Laura shrugged, grabbing the milkshake and taking a sip. “We always have weird names for things in Canada.”

Carmilla laughed. “I guess you guys kind of do. I don’t really know much about Canada since I’ve only been there once for a 7th grade field trip.”

“Niagara Falls?”

“How’d you know?”

“Well, you said you were from New York so you know, New York and Canada, I put two and two together. Besides, for people in New York and Ontario, ‘school field trip’ and ‘Niagara Falls’ are kind of synonymous.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Did you like growing up in...” Carmilla trailed off, realizing she didn’t know the name of the town Laura was from. “You never told me exactly what town you’re from.”

“Port Hope. Uh, it was ok, I guess. You know how it is with small towns,” Laura said, brushing off the question.

Carmilla didn’t notice Laura’s growing discomfort, her eyes on the beavertail as she went to take another piece. “I’m from Syracuse so I don’t actually,” Carmilla replied, her attention still on the dessert as she wrestled with a particularly difficult piece that just wouldn’t detach.

“Everyone knows everyone. People talk. That kind of thing.”

Carmilla looked up, triumphant in her tug-o-war with the beavertail. She put it in her mouth and saw that Laura was oddly intently focused on the glass in front of her.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Carmilla said softly.

Laura smiled gratefully. “I’m sorry. It’s not that big of a deal but-“

“Everyone has things they don’t want to talk about,” Carmilla reassured.

Laura wordlessly slid the milkshake over to Carmilla, a small gesture to convey her appreciation. Carmilla seemed to understand and accepted it, taking a sip.

“It must be something about this diner,” Carmilla commented.

“What?”

“We were talking just fine until we got here and now we’re shooting blanks left and right,” Carmilla joked.

Laura gave a small laugh. “Yeah, must be the diner. The food’s good, though, so that’s something.”

“That’s true. I don’t actually think I can fit in anymore so it’s all yours.”

“No, I’m good, too. Do you want to go?”

Carmilla nodded and she and Laura both slid out of the booth. They headed towards the counter and Carmilla was reaching into her bag for her wallet when Laura stopped her.

“Let me get this.”

Carmilla was about to protest but Laura cut her off.

“Don’t even try. You can get the next one, ok?”

Carmilla grudgingly removed her hand from her bag, with Laura satisfied at her victory. After she had paid, they both walked outside and the coldness of the air was a stark difference from the heated diner.

“It’s too late to take a bus now so we can walk or take a taxi. I don’t mind either so it’s up to you,” Carmilla said.

Laura thought about it for a moment. “I’m up for walking if you are.”

“I have to warn you, though – it’s a bit of a walk.”

“What, you think I can’t handle it?” Laura teased.

Carmilla rolled her eyes and turned away from Laura, beginning to head along the path. “Come on then, Lewis.”

*****

“Ok, so it’s a little further than I thought it was.”

Carmilla smirked. “I tried to warn you.”

They had been walking for close to 2 hours now and were almost nearing campus. The temperature had dropped somewhat and over the course of the walk, Laura and Carmilla had subconsciously slowly moved closer together to keep warm and they were now shoulder to shoulder.

“I just thought I could hack it since, you know, Canadian,” Laura said as she gestured to herself. “But I’ve never really been outside this late so I didn’t know it got so much colder.”

“Yeah, I probably should’ve tried harder to deter you from walking but aside from the cold, I’m actually enjoying it. I mean, I’m in good company, after all,” Carmilla replied, looking at Laura from the corner of her eye for a moment before returning her attention to the path in front of her.

“I’d still much rather be inside and warm, though,” Laura chuckled.

“Well, we don’t have much further to walk so you’ll get your wish soon.”

“Do you really do this all the time?”

“What, walk?” Carmilla joked.

“Photograph at night,” Laura clarified. “It’s just that it gets so cold and you said you go from night until morning so I’m assuming you mostly just walk everywhere. I don’t know how you do it.”

Carmilla shrugged. “It’s really no big deal. I’m used to the cold now. I think braving the temperature is worth it for what I get out of it.”

“I don’t think I’d ever get used to it,” Laura commented, a shiver coincidently running through her body at that very moment.

Carmilla felt it and looped her arm through Laura’s, rubbing Laura’s arm with her other hand. She knew it wouldn’t do much but thought it would be better than nothing.

“I expected more from you since you’re from further north than I am,” Carmilla quipped.

Laura tightened her arm against Carmilla’s. “Hey, to be fair, I wasn’t exactly prepared for a trek tonight. I thought it was just going to be drinks and dinner- you know, warm indoor stuff.”

“Sure, Canada. Keep up the excuses.”

“Really? You’re going to nickname me after the country I’m from? How creative.”

“I think it has a nice ring to it and seeing as how you love it so much, we’ll keep it for now,” Carmilla smirked, looking over to see Laura rolling her eyes.

They were now approaching I-House and as they reached the door, Laura and Carmilla both disentangled their arms, feeling the night coming to a close.

“So, thanks for this. I had a great time seeing some of the city,” Laura smiled softly.

“Yeah, it was fun,” Carmilla replied, returning Laura’s smile.

They both lingered by the door, knowing the night was over but neither making a move to leave. Carmilla was the one to break the silence and spoke out, knowing that she should let Laura get some sleep.

“Uh, so just text me about those photos.”

“I will,” Laura nodded.

“You must be tired so I won’t keep you any longer. Goodnight, Canada,” Carmilla said as she smiled and slowly walked backwards, eventually turning and heading towards her hall.

“Goodnight,” Laura responded, watching Carmilla walk away for a few seconds before heading inside towards her room.

She turned her key in the lock and opened the door, relishing the feeling of being in her room after a long night. She put her bag on her desk as she made her way to her wardrobe to change into her pajamas, glad that she had showered in the morning.

When Laura opened her wardrobe door, she caught her reflection in the mirror and saw that she still had Carmilla’s beanie on. She smiled slightly before taking it off and throwing it on her desk, making a mental note to return it to Carmilla.

After changing, Laura checked her phone and saw that it was almost 5am. She sighed and knew she would regret staying up this late when she woke up later. However, as she lay down on the bed, she couldn’t find the energy to feel regretful at this very moment. As she contemplated whether it was because she was simply too tired to find the energy or whether it was for a different reason entirely, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is considerably shorter than the first but it was just them in the city and not much else happened in this chapter. I’m not totally happy with it but it is what it is. As always, feedback is appreciated and questions are welcomed. Also, thanks to everyone who left comments on the last chapter - they made me smile and I love hearing what you guys think.


	3. Chapter 3

Carmilla lay on her bed reading a book as Danny sat at her desk, browsing through Facebook on her laptop. It was now late afternoon and they were both taking it easy after staying out until the early hours of the morning. Danny was considerably worse off than Carmilla since she had consumed many more drinks after Carmilla had said goodbye to her last night and Carmilla couldn’t help but laugh when Danny walked through the door in a zombie-like state at noon.

“I forgot to ask what you got up to last night after we left. Did you just come back here?” Danny asked, her eyes still on her laptop.

“No, I went out and took some photos.”

“Of course you did. Did you at least walk with Laura back to her room first?”

“She came with me, actually.”

This caught Danny’s attention and she turned slightly in her seat to look at Carmilla. “Oh, did she?” Danny asked, her lips upturned in a sly smile.

Carmilla looked up from her book and saw the look Danny had on her face. “What?”

“Do you like her?”

“That’s a bit of a leap, Lawrence. I just went to take photos and asked if she wanted to go. No big deal.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Carmilla simply raised an eyebrow at Danny.

“I saw you guys talking at the bar and you just said you basically spent the whole night with her,” Danny explained.

Carmilla rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her book.

“So, do you?”

Carmilla sighed and put her book on her chest, knowing Danny wasn’t going to drop it. “Fine, yes, I like her.”

“Totally called it. See, I told LaF that there could be something between you guys,” Danny grinned.

Confusion came over Carmilla’s features. “What, how? Laura and I just met last night.”

“Well, I didn’t think about it until I saw you guys talking last night but then it clicked and I don’t know why I didn’t set you guys up before,” Danny shrugged.

“You know I would have said no to that,” Carmilla explained.

“Oh yeah, that’s why,” Danny replied, rolling her eyes. “So are you going to ask her out?”

“I swear you’re more eager about this than I am. We only just met,” Carmilla reasoned, somewhat exasperated.

“Ok, fine. Just don’t wait too long to ask her out,” Danny said as she turned back to her laptop.

Carmilla narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment. “You better not tell her any of this.”

“Don’t worry, Karnstein. I know the drill.”

*****

It was late morning on Monday as Carmilla walked across campus, having just finished a class and heading to another. The day seemed later than it was, with the clouds covering every inch of the sky and the air heavy on her as she walked. Carmilla looked down as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

_Hey, it’s Laura. I still have your beanie. You free at all today so I can give it back? Maybe also get a coffee?_

Carmilla smiled at the text message and typed out a reply.

 **Carmilla:** _Forgot about that. I’m heading to class right now but I’ll be free in the afternoon. 1?_

 **Laura:** _Sounds good. Meet you at Café Logan?_

 **Carmilla:** _See you then, Canada._

Carmilla slipped her phone back into her pocket and headed through the door into the lecture theater.

*****

Carmilla entered the café and a quick glance around saw that Laura hadn’t arrived yet. Carmilla went up to the counter and ordered her Americano before taking a seat at one of the tables in the middle of the café. She took out the well-worn copy of The Great Gatsby that she always kept in her bag and flipped to a random page to pass the time as she waited for Laura and her coffee.

A few minutes later and the barista placed the coffee on the table, with Carmilla looking up briefly and thanking him. She was about to return her attention to her book but she was interrupted once again.

“Sorry! I had to ask my professor a question and there were quite a few people who had the same idea so there was a bit of a line,” Laura explained as she approached the table.

Carmilla smiled. “It’s fine. I wasn’t here long anyway. I was going to order something for you but I didn’t know what you wanted or when you’d get here.”

“Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t expect you to get something for me anyway,” Laura waved her off as she unloaded her bag and textbooks on the chair next to Carmilla. “I’m just going to go up and get something now.”

Carmilla nodded and looked back down at her book as Laura walked up to the counter. However, it wasn’t long before she found herself glancing back at Laura. She watched as Laura narrowed her eyes in concentration at the menu, her lips slightly pursed. Carmilla was wondering whether everything Laura did was cute when she caught herself and directed her attention back to the pages in front of her, inwardly rolling her eyes at herself.

After a few more stolen glances at Laura, Carmilla sighed and put her book back in her bag, knowing that it was fruitless to even try and continue reading since her focus was now elsewhere. She took a sip of her coffee and leaned back in her chair, seeing that Laura was walking back towards the table.

“What are you drinking?” Laura asked as she took a seat opposite Carmilla.

“Americano,” Carmilla replied. “Let me guess, a latte for you?”

“Please, be more obvious about your distaste about my choice of coffee,” Laura retorted sarcastically, although she was a little impressed that Carmilla’s guess was accurate.

Carmilla laughed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it in that tone. I’m just a bit particular about coffee.”

“And what’s wrong with a latte?”

“You’re ruining the coffee with milk.”

“You say ruin, I say enhance. Potato, potahto.”

“Agree to disagree,” Carmilla conceded. “So how did you fare on Saturday after everything?”

“I slept pretty much the whole day,” Laura laughed. “Luckily I didn’t have anything to do that day.”

“Oh, I have the photos for you, by the way,” Carmilla remembered, reaching into her bag for the USB drive and handing it to Laura.

“Thanks,” Laura said as she took the USB from Carmilla, putting it in her bag and retrieving Carmilla’s beanie. “This hardly seems like fair trade since you’re giving me photos and I’m just giving you back what’s already yours.”

“Well, I missed my beanie so I don’t mind at all,” Carmilla quipped. “Are you done for the day?”

“I wish. I’ve still got a couple more classes to go. What about you?”

“One more for me,” Carmilla replied as the barista brought Laura’s coffee to the table. She watched as Laura said her thanks and took a drink, the barista’s gaze lingering on Laura before he walked back to the counter.

Laura placed her coffee on the table and looked at Carmilla to see her eyes narrowed and a small smile on her lips. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Did you look at your cup?”

“What do you mean?” Laura asked in confusion, picking up her coffee again. She turned it around and noticed what Carmilla was referring to. “Oh.”

“Guess you made an impression on the barista,” Carmilla commented with a smirk.

Laura blushed slightly and shook her head. “I didn’t know that people actually did this in real life,” she said, referring to what was presumably the barista’s number on the side of her cup. “Do you mind if we go?”

“No, of course not,” Carmilla replied, still enjoying Laura’s embarrassment. They both collected their bags and grabbed their coffees, heading towards the exit.

Once they were outside, Carmilla could feel Laura visibly relax.

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Carmilla said, nudging Laura with her elbow as they slowly walked.

Laura chuckled slightly. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t do well with awkward situations. Sorry I made us leave.”

“It’s ok. It was fun to see you get a little flustered.”

“I didn’t know my misery was so entertaining,” Laura commented, rolling her eyes.

“Misery? That’s a bit of an exaggeration. Although I have to say, I don’t know why you got so uncomfortable about that.”

Laura shrugged. “I’m just not used to that sort of thing.”

“People hitting on you?”

“Well, yeah,” Laura replied, her tone implying as if it were obvious.

“You’re kidding, right?” Carmilla asked, her eyebrow raised.

“Why would I be kidding?”

Carmilla shook her head in slight disbelief at Laura’s obliviousness, finding it quite endearing. “Never mind.”

“Hey, do you mind swinging by my room? I need to pick up a textbook for my next class,” Laura asked as she threw her empty cup into a trash can they were walking past. For some reason, Carmilla felt like a weight that she didn’t even know was there was lifted off her chest.

“No, not at all,” Carmilla replied.

They walked towards Laura’s hall, talking easily about their classes. Carmilla caught herself looking over at Laura a few times more than what could be considered just politely paying attention to the conversation and she decided that what she was doing would definitely be classed as staring. After she realized that she had completely zoned out of the conversation and was just purely staring at Laura, Carmilla forced herself to keep her eyes ahead, although she could see from the corner of her eye that Laura was somewhat confused at Carmilla’s sudden refusal to make any eye contact whatsoever.

They walked up the stairs to Laura’s room and Laura headed to her bookshelf once she opened the door. Carmilla saw that it was a single room and about half the size of her and Danny’s dorm. She walked around, taking the opportunity to get a little more insight about Laura’s personality. The room was decorated with a lot of tiny knick-knacks and personal photos but everything was very neat and it was clear that every place for each item was a conscious choice by Laura.

Carmilla stopped in front of a wall that had at least 20 photos hanging on it, arranged into the rough shape of a cloud. As far as Carmilla could tell, all of them were from different stages in Laura’s life; there was a photo of her as a baby with her parents, another of her with her friends in middle school, and one with her dad that seemed to be taken not too long ago. Carmilla was looking at a photo of Laura and LaF as kids when Laura walked up beside her.

“This is really cool,” Carmilla pointed to the wall.

“Yeah, it’s all these happy moments in my life. Everyone who ever mattered in my life is up here and looking at it always makes me feel better,” Laura replied, looking over the photos.

Carmilla simply nodded in understanding.

“So you want to head out now?” Laura asked.

“Yeah, let’s go. Have you got your book?”

Laura held up the textbook in answer to Carmilla’s question and they headed back outside. It was almost time for both their classes so they walked in the direction of where Laura’s lecture was. The lecture theatre wasn’t far from Laura’s hall and they both seemed to subconsciously slow down as they neared their destination, eventually stopping outside the door.

Carmilla turned towards Laura, trying to think of something to say to prolong their time together. “So, uh, have fun at your lecture.”

Laura laughed slightly. “Yeah, thanks, I’ll try.”

“I guess I should be heading to mine now. Don’t want to be late or anything.”

“That’s a good idea,” Laura nodded, gently rocking back and forth on her heels.

Carmilla started to turn away and head towards her class but she stopped and looked back at Laura. “I’m quite a big coffee drinker, like a ‘I must have at least two cups a day or I’ll kill someone’ kind of person.”

Laura furrowed her brows. “Ok?”

Carmilla chuckled. “What I’m saying is that I drink coffee every day and maybe we could get coffee together – again – sometimes.”

“Oh right,” Laura laughed. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Ok then,” Carmilla smiled. “Now I should really get going or I’m actually going to be late.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Canada,” Carmilla said, giving a small wave before walking away.

*****

Over the next two weeks, Carmilla and Laura met up on most days – sometimes for coffee, others just to hang out after a long day of classes. It was now a Wednesday afternoon and Carmilla was sitting on a bench waiting for Laura, two cups of coffee in hand. She noticed Laura walking up, her face barely visible underneath her scarf and Carmilla’s beanie – Carmilla had given it to her again a week ago since Laura never seemed to remember her own.

“We need to stop meeting outside,” Laura commented as she sat down beside Carmilla.

Carmilla handed Laura her coffee. “I quite enjoy the cold.”

“Is that why you’re shaking slightly?”

“Ok, fine, I’m freezing my ass off. Let’s just go to your room,” Carmilla conceded, getting up from the bench.

Laura smirked, following Carmilla. “You’re not even making it a challenge.”

Carmilla looked at Laura briefly as they walked. “Making what a challenge?”

“It’s so easy to show that you’re really a big softie. There used to be at least three sarcastic comments before you gave in.”

Carmilla smiled, saying nothing. Of course that was what Laura was referring to and Carmilla should have known that Laura wouldn’t make a joke about easily getting Carmilla into her room – not because Laura would think it’s inappropriate but because Carmilla couldn’t find any indication from the past two weeks that Laura was interested in her. Laura seemed to like hanging out with her but Laura was nice to everyone and she treated Carmilla no differently than she would anyone else.

They walked up the stairs to Laura’s room, Carmilla now quite familiar with the interior of the hall after having been to Laura’s room frequently in the past few weeks. After Laura unlocked her door, Carmilla dropped her bag on the floor and headed for Laura’s bed, taking a seat on it and propping herself up against the wall.

Laura picked up Carmilla’s bag and hung it up on a hook, hanging her own bag next to it. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small cake box.

“I come bearing cake,” Laura said, walking over to Carmilla.

“You brought me cake?” Carmilla asked, receiving the box from Laura. The bed dipped slightly as Laura sat down next to Carmilla.

“I made it in Culinary Club.”

“I didn’t even know that was a thing.”

“Well, maybe you should try paying attention to the clubs the university has,” Laura chided playfully. She remembered the plastic forks she had and got up to get them from her desk.

Laura handed a fork to Carmilla as she sat back down. “I’m actually really proud of how it turned out. I mean, I used to bake occasionally at home but cooking’s more my thing, you know?”

Carmilla opened the lid and found there was roughly a quarter of a small cake inside the box. She saw that the cake itself was pink while the outside of it was covered with white icing.

“I gave some of it to LaF and they're passing some onto Danny for me as well,” Laura explained.

“This looks so nice,” Carmilla commented. “Is it strawberry?”

“Yep, made with fresh strawberries and everything,” Laura boasted proudly. She noticed Carmilla’s slight hesitation. “Do you not like strawberry?”

Carmilla saw Laura’s face starting to fall. “No, no. Strawberry’s great!” She quickly reassured. “I love strawberry.”

Laura started moving the box away from Carmilla. “Carmilla, you don’t have to eat it if-“

“Give me the cake, Laura,” Carmilla said, cutting Laura off and reaching for the box. She got a piece of the cake with her fork and put it in her mouth. “This is really good.”

Laura’s face brightened. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Carmilla answered, steeling herself and taking another bite. “You going to eat any or is it all for me?”

Laura smiled and dug in. “You’re right; this is actually really good.”

“You haven’t tried it yet?”

Laura shook her head. “I only made it earlier today and I’ve been preoccupied with giving slices to people.”

“Oh right,” Carmilla responded. She put in her fork down and discreetly took a few deep breaths. She knew she’d have to get back to her room within half an hour, which disappointed her since it meant cutting her time with Laura short, but she knew it was necessary. She reached for her coffee on Laura’s bedside table and finished it off.

Laura took a few more bites of the cake and put it to the side. “Do you want to study here tonight? We can order pizza later.”

“Maybe not tonight. All the stuff that I need is in my room, so, you know,” Carmilla shrugged, internally cringing at her lame excuse.

“Just go over and get your books and stuff like you always do,” Laura suggested.

“I just have something that I need to work on and it’s best if I just do it back in my room. Speaking of, I should head out now,” Carmilla said as she got up hastily.

“Um, ok,” Laura replied, somewhat confused. “Guess I’ll see you on Friday then?”

“Yes, Friday, definitely,” Carmilla confirmed, grabbing her bag and opening the door. “See you later.”

Laura opened her mouth to say bye but the door was closed before she even had the chance. She found Carmilla’s behavior a little odd and made a mental note to text her later.

*****

Laura knocked on the door and waited.

“Come in!” Danny shouted, her voice muffled through the door.

Laura turned the handle and entered the room. She knew Carmilla had an early morning class so she wouldn’t be in their room but it didn’t stop Laura from glancing over to her side of the room.

“Morning, Danny,” Laura greeted.

“Hey,” Danny smiled, looking up from her spot on the bed. “The notes are over on my desk. Just take the whole folder.”

Laura headed over and picked it up, flipping through the pages. “These are super detailed. You are a life saver.”

“No problem, just glad I could help.”

Laura nodded and lingered by the desk, playing with the top of the folder. “Hey, did anything seem off with Carmilla yesterday?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she left really abruptly yesterday but when I texted her later, she seemed fine again,” Laura shrugged, catching her bottom lip in between her teeth.

“She must’ve just not been feeling too well and wanted to rest since her allergies were acting up. It wasn’t serious, though,” Danny explained.

“Allergies?”

“Yeah, she’s mildly allergic to strawberries.”

Laura froze. “What?”

Danny looked confusedly at Laura. “Did something happen?”

Laura opened and closed her mouth for a few moments in disbelief before finding her voice again. “I baked a cake! I baked a _strawberry_ cake and she ate it! Why would she do that if she was allergic! Is she crazy? Frick.”

“Wait, she ate it?” Danny asked incredulously.

“I know, right?” Laura widened her eyes at Danny, her voice rising. “Is she out of her mind? She’s _allergic_. She even asked if it was strawberry! I can’t believe this.”

Danny furrowed her brows in thought before looking at Laura again. “She’s definitely out of her mind.”

“Yes, exactly! Why would she eat it if she knew she was _allergic_? It’s ridiculous,” Laura said, running her hand through her hair.

“She’s out of her mind and you’re completely oblivious – a match made in heaven.”

Laura turned to Danny. “What are you talking about?”

“She’s so obviously into you,” Danny said, raising her eyebrows. “That’s why she ate the cake. I mean, it was obvious before the whole cake fiasco but now it’s just painfully obvious.”

“Carmilla’s into me?” Laura asked, taking a seat on Carmilla’s bed.

Danny laughed. “I swear I don’t know how you function sometimes. But yes, she’s liked you since that night you guys met. She’ll probably kill me for telling you that since I promised I wouldn’t say anything.”

“I didn’t even know she was into girls,” Laura said, a little dazed.

Danny tilted her head, smiling sympathetically. “Well, now you know. I didn’t tell you anything, though.”

Laura nodded, still caught up in her thoughts. “Wait, does she know I like her as well?”

“I don’t think so, otherwise she would’ve asked you out already. I don’t know what she’s waiting for, though, since you might be a bit more subtle but it’s also obvious that you’re into her.”

Laura blushed a little, looking down at her lap. “It wasn’t _that_ obvious,” she mumbled.

“Well, not to her, apparently. Carmilla’s usually pretty good at picking up on signals but your obliviousness must’ve rubbed off on her,” Danny mused.

Laura rolled her eyes. “Anyway, thanks for these,” she gestured with the folder. “I better get going.”

“It’ll be thanks enough when you two get together,” Danny teased.

“Yeah, I definitely need to get going now,” Laura said, heading towards the door. “Don’t say anything to Carmilla, ok? I’m not seeing her until tomorrow.”

“You got it.”

“Thanks, Danny. I’ll see you.”

*****

Carmilla exited the building and almost immediately saw Laura standing off to the side.

“Hey,” Carmilla smiled as she approached Laura.

“Hey,” Laura said, returning the smile. “How was your class?”

“It was fine. I’m so ready for lunch, though.”

“Already got it,” Laura said, lifting the plastic bag she held in her hand. “The weather’s not too bad so I thought we could just eat outside today.”

“Sounds good to me,” Carmilla replied, following Laura as she led them to a nearby table.

“They didn’t have chicken salad so I just got you roast beef as well,” Laura explained as she removed the sandwiches from the bag, along with a couple of bottles of water and two packets of chips. “You’re always stealing from mine anyway so I figured you liked it enough.”

“I am not always stealing yours,” Carmilla argued. “I’m just helping you out because you eat so slowly.”

“Oh, is that right?” Laura retorted.

Carmilla simply smirked and raised an eyebrow before biting into her sandwich.

“I’m surprised you didn’t check for strawberries first, considering that you’re, you know, allergic to them and all,” Laura commented, popping a potato chip into her mouth.

Carmilla slowly lowered her sandwich, smiling sheepishly. “So you know about that, huh?”

“Yeah, Danny told me. You know that was incredibly stupid, right?”

“I’m only mildly allergic so it’s no big deal,” Carmilla brushed off.

“It is a big deal and it was still stupid. Are you completely ok now?” Laura asked, her eyes scanning over Carmilla’s face as if she would be able see any residual signs.

“I’m fine – it was nothing. It’s not like this is the first time it’s flared up or anything.”

“But I bet you didn’t purposely eat strawberry cake the other times,” Laura countered.

Laura got her there. “Can’t say that I did,” Carmilla responded, taking another bite of her sandwich.

“You didn’t need to eat the cake, you know. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been offended if you said you were allergic,” Laura teased softly, a light smile returning to her face.

“I know,” Carmilla sighed. “It’s just that- never mind.”

“And I’m pretty sure it would’ve been easier just to ask me out,” Laura said nonchalantly, opening her bottle of water and taking a sip.

Carmilla gawked slightly before simply giving in and smiling, dipping her head. “Yeah, it probably would have,” she agreed.

Laura grinned. “So there’s a concert tomorrow night at the pavilion, some local band. Do you want to go? We could grab dinner beforehand.”

Carmilla shook her head at herself before looking back up at Laura. “That sounds great.”

“I’ll come by your room at 6,” Laura said before returning her attention to her sandwich.

“I didn’t realize you noticed since you didn’t really give anything away. I just thought you weren’t interested.”

Laura looked back at Carmilla. “Well, Danny actually told me so you’re right about me not noticing,” she admitted. “Uh, and I was interested. I just had no idea that you were.”

“Oh,” Carmilla said, blowing out a breath.

“I guess we’ve both been pretty clueless,” Laura laughed.

“Well, now we know,” Carmilla smiled.

“Now we know,” Laura repeated, biting her lip to subdue her grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :) You guys are wonderful. Reading your comments encourages me to write faster and they're always appreciated, so thank you for that. My tumblr askbox is always open so you're also free to send me a message on there, if that's your thing.


	4. Chapter 4

Carmilla checked her reflection in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure everything was fine. She had decided on a simple outfit – black jeans and a nice top paired with a leather jacket – since they were going to be outdoors for most of the night, which meant she would be bundled up in her coat anyway. As Carmilla was putting the final touches on her makeup, she heard a knock at the door. She checked her phone and saw that it was 6pm, smiling at the fact that Laura had arrived exactly on time. She walked over and opened the door.

“Hey,” Laura beamed.

“Hey,” Carmilla replied, a soft smile on her lips.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, just let me grab my coat,” Carmilla said, turning and walking further back into her room to retrieve it. She pulled the coat on and joined Laura in the hallway, locking the door. “You look really nice, by the way.”

Laura dipped her head slightly, smiling. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“So where are we going?” Carmilla asked as they stepped outside, the cold air causing her to shiver. It was nearing the end of November and the temperature was dropping quite consistently as it headed deeper into winter.

“I thought we could go to Friends Sushi. Have you ever tried it?”

Carmilla shook her head. “Are we talking the bus in?”

“I actually called us a cab. It should be here any minute…” Laura drifted off, looking around as they neared the road. “Oh! There it is.”

Carmilla followed Laura over to the taxi and quickened her pace just before they reached the door, opening it for Laura. Laura rolled her eyes at the gesture but Carmilla could see her biting her lip to hide her smile as she got into the car.

Laura leaned back in her seat after giving the address to the driver. “The restaurant isn’t that far from the pavilion so I thought we could just walk there afterwards,” she said, turning towards Carmilla.

Carmilla nodded in response and they settled into a comfortable silence, watching the lights and buildings pass by.

“Are you nervous?” Laura asked after a few minutes of silence, her voice soft to match the quiet of the car.

Carmilla turned away from the window and looked at Laura. “No,” she answered honestly. “Are you?”

“A little,” Laura admitted. “But, like a happy nervous. I just want this to go well.”

“What makes you think that it won’t?”

Laura looked at Carmilla for a long moment before answering, thinking through the past two weeks and coming up empty. “Nothing, actually.”

Carmilla held Laura’s gaze, tilting her head to lean on the headrest. “Exactly. So don’t worry, ok? It’s like any other time we’ve hung out.”

“Well, I hope it’s not exactly like every other time we’ve hung out,” Laura quipped.

“What do you mean?”

“The other times, we were just friends.”

“I thought that went without saying,” Carmilla smiled, raising her eyebrow. “But seriously, everything will be fine.”

“Got a lot of confidence in yourself there?” Laura joked.

“No, not in myself,” Carmilla replied, any hint of teasing having left her voice. “I just have a feeling.”

“Ok,” Laura said, feeling calmer. “I’ll trust you.”

*****

Carmilla exited the restaurant, with Laura following closely behind.

“Ok, you need to lead the way to the park because I think I might get us lost,” Laura confessed.

Carmilla laughed lightly. “Of course you would.”

“At least I can admit when I’m wrong,” Laura jibed as they started walking.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Well, someone was pretty insistent about Ottawa being the capital of Ontario and wouldn’t let up until I googled it.”

“Firstly, that would be difficult for anyone who wasn’t from Canada and secondly, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think I’ve proven my point,” Laura smirked.

“I don’t think you’ve proven anything,” Carmilla brushed off. “What band are we seeing anyway?”

“It’s actually not a band; it’s just one guy. I think you might know him. His name’s Andrew Belle?” Laura asked innocently.

Carmilla looked over at Laura, her eyebrows raised. “Wait, Andrew Belle is playing at the pavilion?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either. I checked online for events a couple of days ago and his name was there.”

“How’d you get tickets that late?”

Laura shrugged. “I might have called in a favor or two.”

“Must’ve been some pretty big favors,” Carmilla commented.

“It was nothing. It’s actually surprisingly easy when you’re part of so many clubs,” Laura mused.

“Regardless of whether it was easy or not, thank you,” Carmilla said sincerely, looking into Laura’s eyes before glancing down briefly and intertwining their hands together.

Laura’s eyes darted down to their interlocked hands, her lips curling into a small smile. “You’re very welcome.”

They continued making their way to Millennium Park, with Laura occasionally stopping to look inside the window of a store or at holiday decorations that were hanging up around the city. Carmilla rolled her eyes every time but truthfully, she enjoyed watching Laura’s face light up at the sight of things that Carmilla would normally overlook, as well as the feel of Laura’s hand slightly tightening around her own as Laura pulled her towards something else that caught her eye.

It was after the 11th stop that Carmilla decided to speak up. “Canada, I’m pretty sure we’re going to miss the whole concert if you keep stopping like this,” she joked.

Laura gave a sheepish smile. “I know, I’m sorry! It’s just that I haven’t really walked through this part of the city before and everything’s just so pretty… But no, you’re right. We really do need to get going,” Laura concluded, quickening her pace and pulling Carmilla with her.

Carmilla shook her head and smiled amusedly at the look of determination that had come over Laura’s features. Carmilla sped up slightly to match Laura’s stride and they walked in silence due to the quickened speed, focused on getting to the concert. As they neared the pavilion, they could hear the strum of a guitar through the speakers.

Laura checked her phone with her free hand. “We’re only 10 minutes late and it sounds like it’s just starting so that’s good.”

Carmilla tugged on Laura’s hand to slow her down a little. “We’re practically almost here so I don’t think we need to sprint anymore.”

“Come on, we can rest when we’re at our seats. See? They’re right there,” Laura gestured to the chairs that were a few hundred feet away.

They reached the ticket checker and Laura handed their tickets over. Laura led Carmilla to a couple of seats that were a few rows back from the front of the stage but fairly center.

“These are our seats? How many favors did you call in exactly?” Carmilla asked as they sat down.

“I was serious when I told you it was surprisingly easy, so don’t think I put a lot of work into this,” Laura smirked.

“I guess I’ll just have to trust you on that,” Carmilla replied, sitting back and turning her attention towards the stage.

Carmilla felt Laura loop her arm through her own as the previous song came to an end and the opening notes of ‘Want What It Wants’ came through the speakers. Carmilla leaned into Laura, her eyes still on the stage.

“This was never one of my favorite songs from him but I think it’s growing on me,” Carmilla whispered after the song was well into its second verse.

“Any reason?” Laura asked, her eyes flicking to Carmilla briefly.

Carmilla simply shrugged, falling silent and letting the music encompass them again.

They enjoyed the rest of the concert like this, occasionally punctuating the music with a whispered thought or question but mostly staying quiet to take it in. Carmilla would glance over at Laura intermittently and over the course of the night, Laura nestled in closer, eventually resting her head on Carmilla’s shoulder.

As the last notes of the final song echoed, Laura lifted her head and turned to Carmilla. “So that was pretty amazing, huh?”

“Yeah, he’s really good live,” Carmilla agreed. “Thank you for this.”

“You already thanked me,” Laura pointed out.

“Yeah, I just wanted to say it again.”

Laura smiled softly at Carmilla before looking around and seeing that the pavilion was emptying rather quickly. “We should probably get going.”

Carmilla stood up and held her hand out for Laura, pulling her up when she took it. They started to head towards the exit but Carmilla felt Laura stop suddenly.

“Wait, let’s take a photo,” Laura said, pulling out her phone.

Carmilla hesitated slightly, not very enthused by the idea. “Do we have to?”

“Oh, come on! Think of it as a first date memorabilia,” Laura reasoned, removing her hand from Carmilla’s to wrap her arm around Carmilla’s waist, her other hand holding out her phone in front of them. “Ok, smile!”

Carmilla rolled her eyes but obliged, gently leaning her head on Laura’s and posing for the photo. She watched as Laura opened up the photo to check it, tilting the phone towards Carmilla to show her. Along with them, the photo had captured the stage as well as some of the city lights beyond the pavilion.

“See, it’s a nice photo,” Laura smiled before sliding her phone back into her bag and reaching for Carmilla’s hand again. “Now we can go.”

They continued heading for the exit and kept walking until they were out of Millennium Park entirely before stopping, with Carmilla turning towards Laura.

“Do you want to head back to campus yet?” Carmilla asked, holding Laura’s hand between both of her own to help keep Laura warm.

“I don’t really want to go back yet. Can we just go to a café and sit for a bit? Unless you want to head back.”

“I don’t want to go back yet either,” Carmilla said. “I really could use something to warm me up so a café sounds good. Trust you to pick an outdoor concert in November.”

Laura feigned offense. “Well, someone wasn’t complaining and seemed to enjoy the concert.”

Carmilla simply smirked and pulled Laura along, heading in the direction of a café she knew was nearby. As they entered, the warm air hit them immediately and it was a relief after spending most of the night outside.

“Do you want to grab us a table? I’ll order for us,” Carmilla suggested.

Laura nodded and looked around, spotting a table near the back that seemed to be a bit quieter. She made her way towards it, taking off her coat and sitting down. After a minute or two, Laura saw Carmilla walking towards her with an order number in hand.

“What’d you get?” Laura asked, looking up at Carmilla.

“I just got us two hot chocolates,” Carmilla replied, removing her coat and taking a seat opposite Laura.

“Wow, Carmilla Karnstein drinking hot chocolate. Who would’ve thought?” Laura teased.

“I may enjoy it from time to time,” Carmilla shrugged. “This has to stay between us, though. I can’t lose my street cred, you know?”

“I can’t believe you just said ‘street cred’. But don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

Carmilla dramatically breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God for that.”

“So, be honest- how do you think this date’s going?” Laura asked.

Carmilla smiled amusedly. “I thought people talked about that after the date was over, not during.”

“It’s us so I think it’s fine to bring it up,” Laura smiled sweetly.

“Well, I don’t know about you but I’m having a good time,” Carmilla answered, tilting her head slightly.

Laura mirrored Carmilla subconsciously, tilting her head as well. “Yeah, I’m having a great time, too,” she replied softly.

“Ok, two hot chocolates,” the waitress announced as she brought over their drinks, breaking the moment and prompting Carmilla and Laura to look away from each other. The waitress was about to walk away when something stopped her. “Carmilla?”

Carmilla looked up to see the waitress staring at her and it took a moment before recognition crossed her features. “Oh, hi! Uh… Melissa! Melissa, hi. I didn’t know you worked here.”

“I’ve only been here for a couple of months,” Melissa explained.

“Oh, I see. That’s nice,” Carmilla nodded.

Laura could feel the air getting a little thick. “Hi, I’m Laura,” she interjected, giving Melissa a little wave, hoping to dispel some of the awkwardness.

Melissa simply smiled, looking between them. “I should get back,” she gestured to the counter. “I’ll leave you guys to it.”

“What was that?” Laura asked once Melissa was out of earshot, a smirk on her face.

“We went on a date once. I didn’t call her back,” Carmilla explained, a guilty expression on her face.

“Recently?”

“No, no,” Carmilla quickly reassured. “It was over 6 months ago.”

Laura chuckled. “Such a heartbreaker.”

“Hardly,” Carmilla scoffed lightly. “That was the only time I didn’t call someone back.”

Laura considered it for a moment. “Now I’m curious.”

Carmilla furrowed her brows. “About why I didn’t call her back?”

“Your dating history,” Laura corrected, grinning.

“First date and we’re talking relationship histories already?” Carmilla joked, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you really don’t want to,” Laura said, her grin softening.

Carmilla shook her head. “No, I’m fine with it. Where do you want to start?”

“Let’s go with high school. Before that barely even counts, right?”

“Ok, let’s see,” Carmilla mused, sifting through her memories. “I dated a few girls during my freshman and sophomore years but there was never really anything serious. I’ve only had one serious girlfriend and we were together for two years.”

“That’s a pretty long time,” Laura remarked. “Why’d you guys break up?”

“For college – she went to California and I came here. We didn’t want to do long-distance.”

Laura nodded. “What about ever since moving here? Anyone besides poor Melissa over there?”

Carmilla smiled. “A few casual dates here and there but nothing ever came of them.”

“You’re quite the casual dater,” Laura quipped.

“It seems that way but I’m actually not,” Carmilla laughed. “It’s mostly been set-ups in college and I tried to get out of them but you win some and you lose some, I guess.”

“I find it hard to believe someone like you needs to be set up.”

“I never asked to be and I wasn’t really looking for anything at the time but I guess people thought they were being helpful.”

“Helpful?”

“It was just after Elle – my ex-girlfriend – and I split up.”

“Oh,” Laura responded, not knowing what answer she had expected.

“Ok, your turn now,” Carmilla said, perking up slightly as she turned the tables.

“I didn’t really take this part into consideration when I started this topic,” Laura admitted, scrunching her nose slightly.

“It’s only fair,” Carmilla shrugged, smirking.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Laura sighed. “Well, I had a boyfriend for a time in high school. We started dating about halfway through my sophomore year and were together for most of my junior year as well.”

Carmilla raised her eyebrows. “It sounds like you guys were serious.”

Laura hesitated. “I mean, yes and no. We were together for a while but I felt like it was nice to have someone, rather than it was nice to be with him specifically. I eventually broke up with him because something just felt off and I needed to figure myself out.”

“And I’m guessing you did?”

“Well, yeah, I realized the reason it didn’t feel right was because I’m not into guys,” Laura laughed.

“So what about afterwards then? Any girlfriends?”

“I dated two girls in high school after I came out, one for about a month and the other for two months,” Laura said. “I can’t say I was looking too hard for a girlfriend, though, since not everyone was exactly accepting.” Laura’s gaze drifted to the hem of her skirt, her fingers picking at a stray thread.

“Is that what you meant when you said people talked?” Carmilla asked softly.

“You remember that, huh?” Laura responded, smiling sadly. “I came out near the beginning of senior year and it kind of spread like wildfire around the town. A lot of people were fine with it – the ones who mattered, anyway – or at least came to terms with it but there were some people who tried to make life a bit harder for me.”

Carmilla blew out a breath. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s in the past now,” Laura said, giving a light shrug. “But it’s part of the reason I wanted to get away for college; I just needed somewhere entirely new.”

Carmilla nodded in understanding. She felt like Laura might have been holding something back, maybe for Carmilla’s benefit, but she knew that it wasn’t her place to push. “Thank you for sharing all that with me. I know it must not be easy to talk about.”

“It’s easy to talk to you,” Laura simply replied, giving a small smile.

Carmilla returned the smile, lowering her eyes to her lap before looking back at Laura. “I feel like this conversation has been kind of lopsided.”

Laura furrowed her brows in confusion, questioning.

“I just mean that you shared so much more than I did,” Carmilla explained.

“It’s not like we’re keeping score or anything,” Laura retorted. “I’m the one who wanted to talk about dating histories and me coming out just happened to a part of mine. But you’re more than welcome to share something else if you really want to. I’ll accept an embarrassing story.”

Carmilla chuckled. “I think I’ll save embarrassing stories for next time. I’ll give you a confession of something I did when I was younger, though.”

Laura leaned forward. “I’m intrigued.”

“When I was 12, we were at a neighborhood party at my neighbor’s place that was a few houses down from ours. Will and I-“

“Your best friend,” Laura recalled, as if to solidify the information in her mind.

“Yeah. Well, we were playing with their bulldog, Skippy, and we were a bit bored so we thought it would be fun to give the dog a little bit of beer.”

“You gave beer to a dog? How’d you even get it?”

“The adults were a little buzzed so it was easy to sneak a bottle from the table,” Carmilla answered offhandedly. “Anyway, that’s not even the worse part.”

“Oh, God,” Laura laughed, slightly dreading what was to come.

“We gave Skippy about a capful, so not very much at all, and he lapped it up. We waited a few minutes and he seemed totally fine, which we were a little disappointed about, so we left him alone to find something else to do. Next thing we know, he’s humping my neighbor’s other dog, Gypsy, and a few weeks later, we found out Gypsy was pregnant.”

Laura opened her mouth in shock, unsure whether to find the story hilarious or horrifying. “I can’t believe you guys did that! Did anyone ever find out it was you guys?”

“Well, I didn’t tell my parents until years later and they just laughed about it. At the time, though, I was so terrified. Will wanted to tell our parents but I swore him to secrecy, which made him very nervous for the next few weeks,” Carmilla recalled, shaking her head at memory. “He’s just so open and hates keeping anything from anyone.”

“So you were the bad influence then?” Laura teased.

“It’s not very difficult to be a bad influence when the person you’re influencing is Will,” Carmilla remarked. “He’d probably get heart palpitations if he jaywalked.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Laura smiled, finishing off her drink.

“You ready to go back? We can still catch the last bus if we leave now.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

*****

“Where are you going?” Laura asked as they got off at their stop, Carmilla walking in the opposite direction to where Breckinridge was.

“To I-House,” Carmilla replied, as if it were obvious.

Carmilla tugged on Laura’s hand and started walking again but Laura stopped her. “But your room is closer. I’ll walk with you to yours first.”

“No, it’s fine. Come on.”

Laura gave in and followed Carmilla. “You always do that,” she observed.

“Do what?”

“Drop me off at my room, or pick me up from it. I think I’ve only walked to your room or back to mine alone twice.”

“It’s not like a conscious thing or anything, like ‘I have to pick up and drop off Laura’,” Carmilla defended. “I just like doing it.”

Laura elbowed Carmilla gently. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing.”

“Well, good. Because I’m going to keep doing it,” Carmilla mumbled, a little embarrassed by her admission.

They reached Laura’s hall and stopped outside the door, with Laura turning to face Carmilla. Laura looked down at their hands and started playing with Carmilla’s fingers, a little disappointed that the night was over.

“I had a really great time tonight, Canada.”

“Yeah, me too,” Laura responded as she swayed back and forth lightly, her attention still focused their hands.

Carmilla smiled at the girl in front of her and used her free hand to tilt Laura’s chin up, her eyes flicking to Laura’s lips briefly. Carmilla leaned in and softly pressed her lips to Laura’s before pulling back. Laura’s hand went to rest on Carmilla’s waist as she pulled Carmilla in, kissing her more firmly, this time longer than the first.

“Well, that was…” Carmilla began, breaking away.

“Yeah,” Laura agreed, slightly breathless.

“I should let you get inside now. Don’t want you getting hypothermia or anything,” Carmilla joked lamely.

“I don’t think that would be a problem right now,” Laura grinned. “But you’re right; I should probably go.” She gave Carmilla another quick peck before letting go of her hand and walking to the door. “See you on Monday?”

Carmilla nodded. “Yeah, I’ll text you.”

“Goodnight, Carm.”

“Goodnight, Laura,” Carmilla replied, waiting until Laura was inside before she turned and headed towards her own room.

*****

As Carmilla was putting her key in the lock, she couldn’t help but smile as she thought back over the night’s events. It was like any other time she had spent with Laura – easy and effortless – but she enjoyed the different kind of closeness that they had shared tonight. She pushed open the door, her mind still preoccupied with Laura as she flicked on the lights.

“Back from your date?”

“Holy shit!” Carmilla exclaimed, jumping slightly. “Lawrence, you scared the crap out of me! I thought you were staying the night at Kirsch’s?”

Danny was lounging on her bed, her computer on her lap. “Yeah, I had planned to but his friends dragged him out to the bar last minute so I just told him I’d head back here,” she shrugged.

“A warning would’ve been nice. Or even just having the lights on,” Carmilla said pointedly, her heartbeat attempting to come back down to a normal pace.

“I’ll take note for next time,” Danny replied sarcastically. “So, how was your date?”

“It was good,” Carmilla answered, taking off her coat and throwing it over her desk chair.

“That’s it? ‘It was good’?”

“What else do you want me to say?”

“Would it kill you give me some details? I tell you about my dates with Kirsch,” Danny argued.

“Which I don’t ask for and would prefer not to hear sometimes,” Carmilla threw back.

Danny rolled her eyes, settling back onto her bed. “You are such an ass, Karnstein.”

Carmilla sighed. “We went to dinner, the concert and then hung out at a café afterwards. I walked her back to her room and kissed her. Happy?”

Danny smirked, satisfied with the answer. “See, that’s all you had to say. Now I’ll leave you alone.”

Carmilla shook her head but had a slight smile on her lips. She didn’t actually mind Danny asking about it too much but Carmilla was naturally a private person and she wasn’t used to talking openly about a lot of aspects of her life, something that she was adjusting to since rooming with Danny and meeting Laura.

Carmilla saw her phone light up on her desk and went to pick it up, smiling when she saw that it was a text from Laura with an attachment.

 **Laura:** _Told you it was a good photo._

 **Carmilla:** _Yeah, I suppose it’s not too bad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing was not my friend during this chapter but I pushed on and got this out for you guys. I just want to note that the dog story is real and based on something that my friend told me, so go figure.
> 
> I have a playlist that I listen to while writing for this fic and I don’t know if you guys would be interested if I shared a song from it every time I updated? I don’t know, I just thought it could be a fun thing to do - let me know in the comments. The songs on the playlist are more about the mood they evoke rather than the lyrics, though, so some of the lyrics might not apply to Hollstein. The first song I’ll share, and one of my favorite songs ever, is Medicine by The 1975. If you guys have any song recommendations for the playlist, please do comment them below – I love discovering new music.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading. You guys are on par with Hollstein kisses, which is pretty up there.


	5. Chapter 5

“So are you going home for Thanksgiving?”

Carmilla and Laura were currently having lunch in the campus dining commons. It was not somewhere that Carmilla frequently dined in at since she would always get a meal to go or eat elsewhere altogether but she had relented at Laura’s behest.

Laura shook her head. “There’s really no point since it’s only a few days. I’m just going with LaF to Kansas and staying with their family,” she explained. “Besides, it’s not Thanksgiving in Canada anyway.”

“From what you’ve told me about your dad, it seems like he would want you to go home, even if it is just for a few days,” Carmilla remarked, popping a French fry into her mouth.

Laura laughed. “Oh, trust me, he does. I want to as well, to be honest, but I’m just going to hold out until Christmas. It’s not like I’ll be alone or anything since I’ll be with LaF’s family, who are basically family to me.”

“How’d you guys meet anyway? You told me that you’ve been best friends since forever but I don’t think I got the story of how it happened.”

“Our moms were best friends since high school and our families visited each other a lot so we spent a lot of time together ever since we were babies,” Laura said. She pursed her lips, wondering if she forgot anything. “I guess that’s it really.”

“Ontario to Kansas? That’s quite a long way to go,” Carmilla commented.

“LaF’s family only moved there a few years ago since their dad is from there and they wanted to be closer to his side of the family. LaF’s mom is from Toronto.”

“Do your families still see each other frequently then? I can’t imagine your moms would be happy with being separated for too long since they used to see each other so much.”

“Uh, not as much as before but still quite often,” Laura answered, looking down and hesitating slightly. “I need to tell you something and I feel like I should’ve told you earlier or something but it’s just never come up so I haven’t and it’s not something that you can just bring up because that’s weird and it’s not something you can just talk about in everyday conversa-”

“Laura,” Carmilla interrupted, an amused smile on her lips. “What is it?”

“My mom- she, uh, she passed away when I was 8.”

Carmilla’s eyes softened, any hint of a smile leaving her face. “Oh, I’m really sorry,” she said, her hand reaching out to cover Laura’s over the table.

Laura squeezed Carmilla’s hand lightly in acknowledgement, grateful for the contact. “Yeah, I just thought I should tell you.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“She saved a little boy from an oncoming car and got hit instead,” Laura elaborated, her eyes faintly glazing over.

Carmilla didn’t know what to say – there was nothing she really could say – so instead, she simply intertwined their fingers, rubbing circles on the back of Laura’s thumb with her own.

“Everyone called her a hero and I ended up resenting that. I just wanted my mom back, you know?” Laura shrugged, her voice getting smaller and her eyes still distant. “I just wanted her to be there and be my mom instead of her being gone and a hero in the eyes of everyone else.”

“I get it,” Carmilla nodded.

“Do you?” Laura asked, a hint of desperation in her eyes as they met Carmilla’s. From anyone else, this could have been a challenge – a question thrown back in the face of those who said they understood but couldn’t possibly even begin to comprehend it – but from Laura, it was almost a plea and a want for someone to understand.

“Not in the exact same terms, but yeah, I do,” Carmilla simply replied.

Laura nodded before dropping her eyes to the table before them, giving a humorless chuckle. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make things so heavy. I still haven’t mastered the ‘it’s fine, it was years ago’ response yet. Well, I thought I did but clearly not.”

“Hey, don’t ever apologize for that, and never pretend you’re ok when you’re not,” Carmilla said, lowering her head to try and catch Laura’s gaze.

Laura’s eyes went back to Carmilla, her lips curling up into a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She looked at the remnants of her lunch in front of her. “I’m not very hungry anymore.”

“We can go,” Carmilla suggested.

“Can we take a walk outside?”

“Yeah, of course,” Carmilla said, getting up and gently pulling Laura with her since their hands were still locked together. They walked outside and strolled in silence for a while, Carmilla giving Laura the space she needed. After some time, Laura led them over to a bench and wordlessly sat down. Laura leaned into Carmilla and nudged her lightly, with Carmilla lifting her arm and putting it around Laura, gathering that it was what Laura was asking for. She felt Laura relax into her side.

“I’m sorry,” Laura said after a few moments.

“Canada, I swear if you don’t stop apologizing, I’m going to be pissed,” Carmilla joked softly.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here, too.”

*****

It was early Tuesday evening as Carmilla walked across the grass, heading towards her destination. The sky was almost completely black and the moon was covered by the clouds, but Carmilla was well-illuminated by the streetlamps. She supposed she should be somewhat freaked out by walking through a graveyard in near darkness but she was used to it by now.

She reached her granddad’s headstone and placed a small bouquet of lilies in front of it – he was never one for flowers but they were her grandma’s favorite so he liked them because she did. Carmilla never knew this from firsthand experience since her grandma passed away before she was born but Carmilla felt like she knew her due to all the stories her granddad used to tell her.

“Hey, Granddad. Happy almost-Thanksgiving. It’s officially Thanksgiving in two days but I’m going home tomorrow so I could only visit you today. I miss you all the time but especially on holidays,” Carmilla smiled sadly. “I’m sorry you can’t be here to spend them with me anymore – you were always the one who made them bearable.” Carmilla bent down and pulled a stray weed that had started growing too close to the headstone. “I’m seeing a girl, her name’s Laura. I know, I never really talk to you about my dating life, so why am I starting now, right? Something just feels a little different with her. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, though, since it’s still very new. You’re the first person I’m willingly telling about this so I hope you feel special about that.” Carmilla laughed slightly. “Not much else has changed since I visited you a couple of months ago; everything’s going pretty well at school, I’m still taking photos of anything that I can, and my professor’s still a douche.”

Carmilla took her usual seat on the grass next to the headstone with the practiced grace of years of familiarity and settled in, continuing to update her granddad about what had been happening in her life. 

*****

Carmilla stood in the kitchen and opened Laura’s text thread on her phone. She was about to begin typing when her phone was snatched out of her hands.

“Hey!”

“It’s way too early to already be glued to your phone, Kitty,” Will teased, Carmilla’s phone in his hand. “It’s Thanksgiving! A day of thanks, family and food – not phones.”

“Well, I’ll be thankful when you give me my phone back,” Carmilla retorted, reaching for her phone and Will giving it up easily. “I’m only going to send one text.”

“You know how Mom is about phones during family gatherings. Besides, we’re supposed to be helping her cook.”

“Firstly, it’s not a family gathering yet since it’s still morning and secondly, I know we’re supposed to be helping her; do you think I’d be up at this ungodly hour, otherwise?” Carmilla asked, sending off a quick good morning text to Laura. “Where is Carol anyway?”

“Ma forgot to buy cranberries so they both went to the store.”

“Oh, big mistake by Nina,” Carmilla said, frowning as she imagined how that scene must have played out.

“Yeah, I know, right? It was almost funny. Mom got so serious and gave the Ma the silent treatment.”

“You’d think that after being together for so long, Nina would’ve learnt to double check everything when it came to Thanksgiving,” Carmilla smiled, shaking her head.

“Everyone knows how serious Mom is about Thanksgiving but who knew she would react like that over _cranberries_? It’s a little dramatic.”

“You know, you should tell her that.”

“Are you trying to get me killed?”

Carmilla simply shrugged, a ghost of a smirk on her lips. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she opened the text message.

**Laura:** _Good morning. Isn’t too early for you to be awake, let alone functioning enough to send a text?_

**Carmilla:** _On any other morning, yes, but Thanksgiving is when I’m roped into putting on my chef helper hat._

**Laura:** _You, cooking? I would pay to see that._

**Carmilla:** _Of course you would; I look adorable in my helper hat. You’re up, unsurprisingly._

**Laura:** _There is nothing wrong with being a morning person._

**Carmilla:** _It’s unnatural to be happy this early in the day._

**Laura:** _Can you imagine me rolling my eyes? Because you should be._

**Carmilla:** _I can imagine your cute face with that cute little smile you do when you pretend you’re annoyed at me._

“Ok, who are you texting?”

“Huh?” Carmilla looked up from her phone to see Will looking at her amusedly.

“You have a stupid ass smile on your face and you never text anyone back that attentively,” Will stated, his eyebrows raised.

“Like you know how I text,” Carmilla threw back sarcastically, trying to defer his attention, although she knew it wouldn’t work.

“So who is it?”

“Just someone,” Carmilla brushed off. She didn’t know why but unlike all the previous girls she had dated, she didn’t feel like sharing whatever she had with Laura with Will just yet.

“No shit,” Will replied. “Come on, who’s this girl you’re seeing?”

“Why do you think it’s someone I’m dating? Or that I’m even dating anyone at all?” Carmilla defended.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re just texting a friend.”

“It could be.”

“But it’s not.”

Carmilla sighed, giving in. “No, it’s not.”

Will smirked, leaning back on the counter and folding his arms across his chest. “Why don’t you want to tell me?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you… I just- I don’t know, I want to keep it to myself for a little bit longer. It’s still new.”

“That never stopped you from telling me about any of your other ex-girlfriends right from the start.”

“I just don’t feel like talking about it yet,” Carmilla shrugged. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Kitty. Just don’t hold out on me too long, ok? Then you might really hurt my feelings.”

Carmilla smiled, kicking Will’s shin lightly with her foot. “Of course not, little bro.”

“You know how much I hate when you call me that. I’m only younger than you by four months,” Will argued.

“Four months is still younger, Fresh Meat. I don’t make the rules,” Carmilla said.

Will rolled his eyes, changing the subject. “So I’m guessing Ange and Dennis aren’t awake yet?”

“Probably not. Dad was still snoring loudly when I walked past their room to leave the house,” Carmilla answered. “Why do they never have to help out with the cooking anymore? It’s been years since they’ve been up with us.”

“One, because now we’re old enough to help and two, they’re not morning people.”

“Does anything about me say that I like mornings?”

“Yeah, but after so many years of Mom forcing them to help, now it’s being passed on to you.”

“What I’m getting from this is that Carol loves torturing Karnsteins.”

“Well, it is pretty fun,” Will grinned.

“God, you are _so_ her son.”

They heard a car pulling up to the driveway and then the engine shutting off, with Will heading outside to see if any help was needed. Carmilla was about to follow but she felt her phone vibrate again in her pocket and pulled it out.

**Laura:** _Sorry, had to help shovel the driveway. And stop trying to flatter me with all your ‘cute’ talk._

**Carmilla:** _I only tell the truth, Canada. I gotta go – that green bean casserole ain’t gonna make itself. Text you later._

*****

Carmilla was lining the pie pan, with Will and Carol beside her doing their own tasks, when she heard the front door open. Moments later, her dad walked in to the kitchen, followed closely by her mom.

“Mmm, everything smells so good!”

“How nice of you to join us, Dad. It’s not like we’ve already been slaving away for hours or anything,” Carmilla remarked, rolling her eyes.

Dennis walked over to Carmilla and gave her a light kiss on the top of her head. “Wow, someone’s cranky. Not in the Thanksgiving mood, are we?”

“Cut Carmilla some slack; she’s been up since the brink of dawn,” Angela chided lightly.

“I would hardly call 8am ‘the brink of dawn’,” Carol scoffed, bending down to check the turkey in the oven. “You guys are ridiculous.”

“It is when it’s a holiday,” Dennis countered, placing the wine he had brought over on the table. “Where’s Nina?”

“She’s out in the shed getting more wood for the fireplace,” Will answered.

“Well, this would probably be the third time that’s ever happened in all the years I’ve known her,” Dennis quipped.

“She forgot the cranberries,” Carol replied curtly, her attention still on the turkey.

Angela looked at Will, who was biting his lip and concentrating far too intently on chopping vegetables, before making eye contact with Carmilla, who widened her eyes and shrugged almost imperceptibly before focusing back on the pie in front of her.

“You know, since you guys are here now, you could help,” Carmilla suggested pointedly. “I don’t know, just throwing it out there.”

Angela and Dennis looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing and simply going to wash their hands.

*****

**Laura:** _The LaFontaines are in a heated science debate. Help me._

**Carmilla:** _All of them are in the science field?_

**Laura:** _Yeah, except LaF’s little brother, who’s still in middle school. Now they’re talking about something called isotopes._

**Carmilla:** _Sounds like a fun time._

**Laura:** _How’s your Thanksgiving going?_

**Carmilla:** _It’s been fine so far, with the exception of Cranberrygate. We’re about to have dinner._

**Laura:** _Cranberrygate?_

**Carmilla:** _You don’t want to know._

“Carmilla, get in here! We’re bringing out the turkey!”

Carmilla looked up from her phone as her dad called out to her from the dining room. By now, everyone had arrived and were all settling around the table but Carmilla had slipped out to the living room to take a bit of a breather and text Laura.

“I’m sure a dead bird can wait a few minutes,” Carmilla retorted, although she still rose from her seat on the couch.

**Carmilla:** _Ok, dinner is served, Canada. I’ll talk to you later._

Carmilla placed her phone on the coffee table and walked into the dining room. Carol and Nina were seated at the heads of the table, with Angela, Dennis and Will down one side of the table and Nina’s parents and Angela’s parents down the other. Carmilla went and sat in her seat next to Will.

“Where are your other set of grandparents?” Carmilla whispered to Will.

“In Florida with my uncle’s family. Yours?”

“Yeah, same. But in Oregon, I mean.”

Nina started carving up the turkey and the various side dishes were passed around, with everyone serving themselves.

“Carol, this stuffing may be the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” Dennis commented.

Carol rolled her eyes but she had a smile on her face. “You say that every year. It’s getting a bit old, just like you.”

“Well, your turkey’s a bit dry, just like you,” Dennis threw back, giving Carol a wink as he put a forkful of turkey into his mouth.

Carol’s jaw dropped. “My turkey is not dry! Take that back!”

“Ok, ok, no one is old or dry and neither is the turkey,” Angela interjected. She grabbed her glass of wine and held it out. “Anyway, happy Thanksgiving!”

Carmilla stifled a laugh as she raised her glass and joined in, with everyone else around the table doing the same. After the toast and as everyone was settling into their meal, Carmilla leaned over towards Angela. “I really wanted to see that play out,” she whispered.

“Yeah, me too, but someone has to be the adult, right?”

*****

Carmilla was awoken by several knocks on her bedroom door. She groaned and turned over, slinging an arm over her face.

“What?”

The door opened slightly and Nina poked her head in. “Is that any way to greet a guest?”

Carmilla removed her arm and opened one eye. “You don’t really count as a guest, Nina.”

“Yeah, that’s true. So listen, us girls are going on a morning walk. Come on, up and at ‘em,” Nina announced, stepping into the room and nudging Carmilla with her knee.

“Are you serious? It’s the day after Thanksgiving. And we live in Syracuse, so it’s fucking freezing,” Carmilla argued, pulling her comforter over her head. As soon as she had done so, it was yanked away again and Carmilla opened her eyes to see Nina holding the comforter with a grin on her face.

“We hardly see you nowadays so we want to spend some time with you. Now get your ass out of bed. You’ve got 15 minutes.”

Carmilla sighed and swung her legs over the side of her bed so that she was now sitting upright. “Is Carol working on Mom?”

“Yeah, I told her that she’d better go for Ange since she would be the more difficult one to wake.”

Carmilla smiled, shaking her head slightly. “There’s just no stopping you guys. So dad and Will don’t have to endure this torture?” She asked as she got up to get dressed.

“Will’s already awake but I think he’s heading to the mall with a friend or something.”

Carmilla zipped up her pants and pulled on a shirt before throwing her jacket on the bed. “You couldn’t pay me to go shopping on Black Friday. Why anyone would go through that torture is beyond me.”

“And maybe that’s why you’re not the friend going with him,” Nina retorted.

“I’m definitely fine with that,” Carmilla threw back, walking into her bathroom to run some water over her face.

“We’ll be waiting in the living room,” Nina said as she went back out into the hallway.

Carmilla entered her room again and reached for her jacket, slipping it on. She checked her phone and saw that it was barely 9am, which caused her to sigh again. She put her phone in her pocket and started looking around for her beanie, knowing that it would probably be wise to wear it. Carmilla furrowed her brows as she paused, thinking of where it could be. She turned her head to look around her room before stopping suddenly and smiling to herself, remembering that Laura still had it. Carmilla grabbed her camera and headed out the door.

*****

Carmilla steadied her camera before looking into the viewfinder and snapping a photo. They had stopped at a park and unsurprisingly, they were the only ones there. Everything was covered by a thick blanket of snow and although it made for beautiful photography, it also made Carmilla wonder why they were even outside at all for the umpteenth time. Carmilla slowly walked back over to Angela as she looked through a couple of photos that she had taken that morning.

“What do you think?” Carmilla asked as she tilted the screen towards Angela.

“I like the first one better.”

Carmilla switched between the two photos before nodding in agreement. “Yeah, I do as well.”

Carmilla pressed the ‘down’ arrow once more than she had intended to and a photo of Laura appeared on the screen, one from the night they met. Carmilla quickly pressed the ‘up’ arrow again to return to the previous photo.

“Who was that?” Angela inquired.

Carmilla busied herself, turning her camera off and putting the lens cap back on. “Just someone.”

There was a slight pause before Angela spoke again. “Why are you being weird?”

“I’m not being weird.”

“You’re my daughter; I know when you’re being weird.”

“Well, obviously not very well since I’m not being weird.”

Angela narrowed her eyes in amusement. “Is she someone you’re dating? Come on, you can tell me. I’m a cool mom, remember?”

Carmilla scoffed but she had small smile on her face. “Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions? You saw a photo for a split second.”

“What’s her name?”

“Mom…”

“See, I knew it! What’s her name?”

Carmilla stared at her mom, dumbfounded.

“What? I can’t know her name?”

“You know, I think this gets your ‘cool mom’ card revoked.”

“I have a lifetime membership,” Angela replied dismissively. “Just tell me her name. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Carmilla sighed resignedly. She knew there was no point denying it. “You never just want to know their name. Remember what you did when I first started going out with Elle?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Angela said innocently. “The only reason I went to your school that day was to get something from one of your teachers.”

“And I’m sure that’s why you went out of your way to stop by my locker and introduce yourself to Elle?”

“It’s not like I knew she was going to be there, and after seeing that she was there, it would’ve been rude not to introduce myself.”

Carmilla simply shook her head. She saw Nina and Carol at the other end of the park and started walking towards them.

Angela quickened her steps to catch up with Carmilla. “I’m not asking to meet the girl, who looks very nice, by the way. I’m just asking to know her name.”

“If I tell you her name, will you drop it?”

Angela’s expression softened. “Honey, if you really don’t want to talk about it then I’ll stop pestering you about it. You know I’m just messing with you.”

Carmilla gave an apologetic smile. “Mom, you know you’d be one of the first people I’d talk to about this stuff but this is still very new so I don’t know, I’m just not ready to talk about it yet.”

Angela tilted her head faintly, as if contemplating something, before giving a firm nod. “Ok.”

Carmilla raised her eyebrows. “Wait, that’s it?”

Angela feigned offense. “Is it so hard to believe that your mother would heed your wishes?”

“You’re pushy and you know it,” Carmilla shot back.

Angela scoffed. “If I’m pushy then Carol must be something else entirely.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a good point there.”

They continued walking to where Carol and Nina were, leaving trails of white footprints behind them. A few minutes passed before Carmilla spoke up again.

“Her name’s Laura,” Carmilla said as her gaze dropped to the ground in front of her and she bit her lip, hoping that a smile wouldn’t creep up on her, which always seemed to happen when she mentioned or thought about Laura. “We met through Danny.”

“Laura. That’s a nice name,” Angela commented.

Carmilla's lips quirked upwards slightly. “Yeah, it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know – I’m the worst. Sorry this update has taken so long! Motivation has been lacking a bit lately, as well as some personal stuff getting in the way. I wish I could promise that the next update won’t take as long but it’s not a promise I can make since uni just started up again for me, which means that I’ll be quite busy. However, what I can promise is that I have no intention of giving up on this story and even if I don’t update in a while, it doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned it.
> 
> So what are your thoughts on this chapter? I know there’s not much Hollstein but I wanted to dive into Carmilla’s family life a bit. Let me know what you think.
> 
> The song I’m sharing from my playlist this week is Gravity by Sara Bareilles. Again, any song recs are more than welcome.
> 
> I know I might sound like a broken record by now but I absolutely love reading what you guys think about the fic and I’m grateful that you guys are following the story. Thanks for reading and leaving feedback.


	6. Chapter 6

Carmilla walked towards the campus library and a smile crept up on her face when she saw Laura was already standing outside, who was looking around, presumably to see if Carmilla had arrived yet. Carmilla saw Laura type something into her phone and then felt her own phone vibrate in her hand a few moments later.

**Laura:** _Where are you?_

Carmilla was only about 30 feet away at this point but Laura was turned away from her and facing the opposite direction.

**Carmilla:** _Sorry, I can’t make it. A last minute thing came up._

Carmilla saw Laura open up the text and couldn’t help but be amused at the frown that had appeared on Laura’s face. She lightly walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey,” Carmilla grinned as Laura turned around.

Laura furrowed her brows in confusion. “What? I thought something came up?” She asked, gesturing with her phone. The realization dawned on her a second later. “Ok, that was a lame joke.”

“Still got you, though, didn’t it?” Carmilla retorted, leaning in to give Laura a light kiss before intertwining their hands.

“Uh, nope, I’m going to need a little more than that,” Laura protested, pulling Carmilla in for another kiss, letting this one linger before backing away. “Oh, and you’re a dork.”

Carmilla raised her eyebrows. “How am I the dork? You clearly take that title.”

“You pull bad pranks while I want to kiss my gir- uh, want to kiss you after not seeing you for a week. No contest there,” Laura replied, tugging them in the direction of Carmilla’s dorm.

Carmilla smiled amusedly but chose to ignore Laura’s little slip up. “It wasn’t even a week; I was home for four days. Anyway, are you doing anything on Friday night?”

“No, nothing planned. You going to ask me out on a date?” Laura smirked.

Carmilla feigned nonchalance. “Nope, just making conversation.”

Laura elbowed Carmilla’s side. “Asshole.”

Carmilla gave a chuckle. “Yes, I am asking you on a date. I was thinking ice skating at Millennium Park?”

“You remembered,” Laura smiled.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then,” Carmilla said, a little smug. “But I have to warn you that I can’t skate. You’re going to have to hold my hand the whole time.”

“Oh, funny how that worked out.”

“I know, right? Weird.”

*****

“I thought you said you could skate without holding onto the side.”

Carmilla looked up to see Laura smirking at her while skating backwards. “Technically I’m not holding onto the side. See?” Carmilla defended, raising her hands in the air to emphasize her point.

“You might as well be with how close you’re sticking to it,” Laura retorted. “Come on, let’s go into the middle. It’s more fun.”

“I think I’m good here.”

Laura rolled her eyes, simply reaching over to grab Carmilla’s hand and pull her further into the ice rink.

“Laura!”

“Carm, you’re fine. I’ve got you,” Laura reassured.

“It’s not you that I don’t trust but more my lack of balance on these metal blades of death.”

“You know, I would’ve never figured that you were bad at ice skating,” Laura mused. “You just seem like you’re good at everything.”

Carmilla chuckled. “That’s far from the truth, Canada, as you can obviously see. But I do seem to be doing better than usual at this.”

“That’s probably because a certain someone is holding your hand right now and making sure you don’t fall on your face.”

“You don’t have to be so smug about it, you know.”

“Oh, is that right?” Laura grinned, letting go of Carmilla’s hand and skating a few feet away.

Carmilla instantly wobbled slightly but she righted herself quickly before remaining completely stationary on the ice for a few moments to make sure she was really balanced. “That was unnecessary and cruel.”

“What? I’m just skating,” Laura shrugged innocently, gliding along with her hands behind her back.

“Well, so am I,” Carmilla said, returning Laura’s nonchalance as she pushed off lightly with her skates, a hint of determination on her face. Although it looked nowhere near as graceful as Laura, she managed to keep herself upright and catch up to where Laura was.

Laura looked over to Carmilla proudly. “You’re not doing too bad now.”

“From ‘bad’ to ‘not too bad’. I’ll take it.”

Laura smiled before looking around the ice rink, which was somewhat crowded due to it being Friday night. “Are you going to be ok for a minute? I want to take a lap.”

Carmilla nodded and briefly watched as Laura sped up, navigating effortlessly through the other people on the ice, before she focused back on her own skating. Again, she pushed herself off slowly and gently made her way across the ice, her confidence growing with every stride. Carmilla eventually completed a lap of the rink and she found herself getting into the rhythm of it.

“How are you going?” Laura asked as she skated up beside Carmilla.

“I think I can be honest now when I say I can skate around a rink without holding onto the barrier,” Carmilla answered, seeming more than a little pleased with herself. “Guess I don’t need to hold onto you anymore either.”

“Ah, so that’s all I was good for,” Laura joked.

They skated in silence for a moment, enjoying their surroundings, the stark whiteness of the ice contrasting with the city lights and the night sky. Carmilla noticed that Laura was just skating out of arms reach.

“Hey, come here,” Carmilla said, reaching out for Laura.

“I thought you said you were fine,” Laura remarked, although she skated closer and took Carmilla’s hand.

“Just because I can skate without holding your hand doesn’t mean I want to.”

“That was so cheesy,” Laura laughed, pulling Carmilla along. “Come on.”

*****

Carmilla was lying on her bed with her earphones in as she took a much needed break from doing her assignment. It was a couple of days out from Christmas break but she had one more thing to hand in before she could relax. Carmilla suddenly felt a jolt of pain in her side and she sat up abruptly, pulling her earphones out. She looked towards Danny, who was pulling her foot back with a smirk on her face.

“What the hell, Lawrence?”

Danny gestured towards the door, with Carmilla seeing that Laura had just come in and was taking off her jacket. “Your girlfriend’s here.”

Carmilla saw Laura freeze for a fraction of a second at hearing Danny’s words but it was barely noticeable, Carmilla even wondering if she had imagined it. “Hey, sorry, I totally forgot you were coming over,” Carmilla said, getting up and kissing Laura chastely. “This assignment’s been doing my head in.”

“I figured you would forget,” Laura smiled, reaching over to remove a piece of fluff that had settled on Carmilla’s shirt. “I brought you some lunch, by the way.”

“Aw, look at you how cute you guys are,” Danny commented. “It’s almost disgusting, really.”

Carmilla knew Danny was just making an innocuous comment but she sensed that it had made Laura a little uncomfortable. Carmilla wouldn’t have thought twice about what Danny said but it seemed like Laura had, apparently.

“Hey, Lawrence, didn’t you say you were meeting up with LaF?” Carmilla asked, hoping Danny would get the hint.

“Yeah but that’s not for another half hour…” Danny trailed off, noticing the look Carmilla was giving her. “Oh, I think I’m actually supposed to be meeting up with them now. So, you know, I should get going,” she said, grabbing her bag from beside her bed.

“Are you sure you don’t want to have lunch with us? As usual, I grossly overestimated the amount of food we would need,” Laura said, motioning to the bag she had placed on Carmilla’s desk.

Danny shook her head, heading towards the door. “You guys enjoy yourselves. I wouldn’t want to keep LaF waiting anyway.”

Carmilla caught Danny’s eye as Danny turned to close the door behind her, giving her roommate a grateful nod, with Danny returning the nod in understanding. Laura and Carmilla were now alone and Laura started unpacking the takeout boxes. Laura wasn’t acting any different than usual at the moment and Carmilla wondered whether she was making something out of nothing, because aside from the little moments here and there that would make Laura pause for a moment, nothing was really out of the ordinary. But Carmilla had a feeling that something was amiss and she didn’t want to let it slide.

Carmilla walked up behind Laura and slid her arms around Laura’s waist, her head coming to rest on Laura’s shoulder. “Smells good.”

Laura leaned into Carmilla, tilting her head to rest on Carmilla’s. “It’s from that Chinese place you like.”

Carmilla didn’t respond, simply pressing a kiss into Laura’s shoulder.

“Can I ask you something?” Laura began tentatively after a few moments of comfortable silence.

“Of course.”

Laura opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. “You know what? Never mind.”

“What is it?” Carmilla pressed gently.

Laura bit her lip, hesitating slightly. “Are we- I mean, what are we?”

Carmilla furrowed her eyebrows. “Us?”

“Yeah, us.”

Carmilla’s lips twitched, fighting a smile. “Is that what you’ve been distracted by for the past week or so?”

Laura turned her head to the side, looking at Carmilla. “It wasn’t _that_ obvious.”

“No, but I could tell.” Carmilla used her hands around Laura’s waist to turn Laura to face her, with Laura naturally bringing her arms to rest around Carmilla’s neck. “You’re very adorable.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “You’re kind of leaving me hanging here.”

Carmilla leaned in and kissed Laura’s nose. “Well, we’re together.”

“So I’m your girlfriend?”

Carmilla leaned in again, kissing Laura on the lips this time. “Yes.”

“And you’re my girlfriend?”

Carmilla laughed. “Yeah. That’s kind of how this works.”

Laura nodded once, trying to subdue her smile. “Ok.”

“Why were you so worried about asking about this?”

“I didn’t know where you stood about it and I just didn’t want to be moving too fast or something,” Laura shrugged, looking down at her shoes.

“Well, we see each other almost every day and we’ve been on a few dates now, which were pretty successful, if I do say so myself. I also kiss you whenever I want,” and Carmilla did, to emphasize her point, “and you don’t seem to mind. There’s also that whole ‘making out on your bed’ thing that’s happened on a few occasions. I don’t know about you but those sound like things that girlfriends do.”

“Ok, you don’t need to be smartass about it,” Laura huffed, although she had a hint of smile on her face. She turned back around to continue serving up the food.

Carmilla said nothing and instead just kissed Laura’s shoulder again.

*****

Carmilla stood in her living room, sending a quick text to Laura just to check in. It was a few days out from Christmas so they were both home for the holidays, with Carmilla having arrived home yesterday while Laura had only flown back to Canada today.

**Laura:** _What? Miss me already?_

**Carmilla:** _Forgive me for being a good girlfriend and wanting to see if you made it home._

**Carmilla:** _But you’re ok? How was your flight?_

**Laura:** _There was a bit of turbulence but it was fine. Made it in one piece._

**Carmilla:** _Ok, good. I’ll let you catch up with your dad. We’ll talk later?_

**Laura:** _Yeah, I’ll call you. Miss you, too, by the way._

Carmilla smiled, rolling her eyes. She slipped her phone into her back pocket and headed into the kitchen. As she got closer, she heard her parents quietly bickering, although she couldn’t hear what it was about. Carmilla frowned, slowing her pace. Her parents were never the type to bicker; they didn’t argue much but when they did, they were not shy about Carmilla knowing about it.

Carmilla tentatively entered the kitchen, hoping to not make things worse or have her parents turn their ire on her, raising her eyebrows questioningly at them as they noticed her enter. Angela and Dennis both straightened up quickly and busied themselves with the cooking, avoiding eye contact.

“Hey guys, everything ok?”

Angela focused intently on the carrots on the chopping board. “Yeah, just talking about work stuff.”

Carmilla looked back and forth from her mom to her dad, wondering why they were acting so weird. She didn’t believe them but decided not to push it any further. “Uh, ok. Do you guys want help with dinner?”

“No, we’re fine,” Dennis quickly answered. “There’s actually some ornaments that still need to go on the tree. You mind getting them out of the basement?”

Carmilla narrowed her eyes slightly. She let a few seconds go by before acquiescing and turning back to go to the basement, pulling her phone out as she did.

**Carmilla:** _My parents are acting strange._

**Will:** _What else is new?_

**Carmilla:** _Secretive strange, though._

**Will:** _It’s Christmas time. Maybe they didn’t want you overhearing about your present._

**Carmilla:** _I don’t think it’s that. This seemed different._

**Will:** _Even if it is something, they’re going to tell you about it sooner or later. It’s Dennis and Ange, after all._

**Carmilla:** _Yeah, I guess you’re right._

*****

It was a few days later that Carmilla heard her parents arguing again, their voices hushed.

“…tell her! She needs to know!” Carmilla heard Dennis say.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t tell her but that we should wait until after Christmas! A few days isn’t going to make much difference!”

Carmilla heard a sigh from Dennis. “I just don’t like this. We never keep things from her.”

It was then that Carmilla stepped into the room. “Ok, seriously, what’s going on? Also, you guys would suck at being in the CIA.”

Angela and Dennis looked up at the sound of Carmilla’s voice, a little surprised but seeming more resigned than anything. They looked at each other, having a silent conversation for a few seconds and apparently coming to an agreement, before turning backing to Carmilla.

“Carmilla, we need to talk to you about something,” Angela began.

Carmilla looked warily between her mom and dad. “Why are you guys being so serious? It’s a little unsettling.”

Dennis spoke up. “It’s about your mom.”

Carmilla looked at Angela, fear starting to creep into her chest. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“What? Oh, honey, no! No, I’m fine. Your dad isn’t talking about me – he’s talking about your birth mother,” Angela clarified gently, pausing to let Carmilla take it in. “She got in contact with us a week ago and she wants to meet up with you.”

_Her birth mother._

Carmilla simply blinked, not knowing how else to react. It’d been over 13 years since she saw her birth mother and she hadn’t thought about her much – as far as Carmilla was concerned, Angela was all the mother she ever needed.

Carmilla finally came back to herself after a few seconds, focusing back on her parents in front of her, who were staring at her in concern. “Oh.”

“Yeah, we know it’s a lot,” Dennis reached out, squeezing Carmilla’s shoulder lightly. “We were surprised, too. We thought we’d talk to you about it after Christmas but I guess your mom and I aren’t the most discreet people in the world.”

Carmilla sat down on the armrest of the couch and gave a slight chuckle, although there was barely any humor in it, her mind preoccupied with processing what her parents just told her. “Yeah, no shit.”

Dennis ducked his head, trying to make eye contact with Carmilla, who seemed worlds away. “Are you mad at us?”

Carmilla looked up at him, furrowing her brows. “What? For not telling me after you guys only knew for a week? Of course not.”

“We told her that we would talk to you about it and that it’d be your decision,” Angela added. “You’re an adult so you can choose what you want to do, and you know your father and I will support you, no matter what.”

“Did she say why she wanted to meet with me?”

“She said that she wants to have a relationship with you, if that’s what you want as well,” Angela answered.

Confusion flooded Carmilla’s features. “But… I don’t understand. Why does she want a relationship with me? They gave me up when I was seven; it wasn’t like I was an infant or anything. She did have a relationship with me but she was the one who decided she didn’t want to anymore.”

Angela stepped towards Carmilla and ran a hand through her daughter’s hair. “Honey, you know I’m on your side and that I hate the circumstances that led to them putting you up for adoption, but I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and say that people change. She said she’s been working hard to get her life together so who knows, maybe that’s prompted her to reach out.”

“And it’s up to you whether you want to see her or not,” Dennis reminded. “You could say no and it’s totally ok.”

Carmilla nodded slowly, considering what they had said but also almost not hearing it at the same time. “I think I just need some time to think about it.”

Angela put an arm around Carmilla’s shoulder, giving her a side hug. “Of course, take as long as you need. It’s not a light decision.”

“I’m going to go out for a bit, take some photos, clear my head,” Carmilla announced, getting up from her seat. “I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

Although Angela and Dennis were a bit worried, they simply agreed, knowing that Carmilla needed the space. They waited for Carmilla to retrieve her camera from her room and watched as she headed towards the door, putting on her shoes.

Before she opened the door, Carmilla turned back towards her parents, wrapping them both in a hug.

“I love you.”

Dennis kissed Carmilla’s head while Angela whispered the sentiment back to her daughter, a gentle smile on her face.

With that, Carmilla headed out the door.

*****

“She wants to meet up with you?”

Carmilla lounged on Will’s bed as he sat at his desk, looking at her with a frown. Carmilla hadn’t slept well and woke up earlier than she normally did so she made her way over to Will’s earlier than she had intended. Unsurprisingly, Will, Nina and Carol were all up.

“Yep. It’s weird, right?”

Will shrugged. “Well, not really. It’s common for people who give their kids up for adoption to want to make contact with them again.”

“Ok, guess what I meant to say was that it feels weird for me, jackass,” Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“I’m going to give you a free pass for the name-calling since you’re going through something,” Will replied. "But yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. Do you know what you’re going to do?”

“No idea. I haven’t thought about the woman in 10 years, to be honest, and I never thought that she’d want back in my life.”

“Do you want her back in your life? That’s the more important question.”

“I don’t know. Logically, I shouldn’t because I don’t miss her, I don’t think about her and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything in my life that she could give me.”

Will waited. “But?”

Carmilla hesitated. “There’s just a small part of me that’s telling me to do it. It doesn’t make sense.”

“For some dumb reason, we feel a connection to our birth parents, even if they were dicks. It really doesn’t make sense but it’s there.”

Carmilla stared at the ceiling. “That life almost feels like it didn’t exist, you know? I remember some of it because I was old enough to but I feel so removed from it now and I’m not sure that I want something from that life to collide with this life.”

“What did Ange and Dennis say?”

“I haven’t really talked to them about it,” Carmilla admitted. “They said they’d support me with whatever I choose to do but that’s just typical Mom and Dad.”

Carmilla turned onto her side and lifted herself to rest on her elbow to face Will. “What would you do if it were you? If your birth parents wanted back in on your life?”

Will considered it for a moment. “I don’t know, Kitty. But our situations are different; your birth parents weren’t drug dealers who got sent to prison. I’m not saying that I had it worse than you or that your birth parents weren’t shitty but I remember you said that they tried, right? That’s why you said it wasn’t all bad.”

“It wasn’t all bad but it wasn’t good either,” Carmilla replied, “which is why I don’t think I should see her again.”

“Then don’t. You don’t owe her anything.”

Carmilla flopped onto her back again and flung an arm over her face. “Yeah, I don’t.”

Will got up from his chair and started heading towards the door. “Ok, let’s go play some Mario Kart, get your mind off this for a few hours at least.”

“I guess it would make me feel better to wipe the floor with you,” Carmilla remarked, getting up from the bed.

“That’s some big talk. Just so you know, I’m not going to go easy on you because of this birth mother thing.”

“Even when you try your best, it isn’t much of a challenge so…” Carmilla shrugged.

“You’re going to regret that, Kitty.”

*****

“Hey guys, can I talk to you for a sec?”

Angela and Dennis looked up from the TV at the sound of Carmilla’s voice to see her entering the living room.

“It’s about the birth mother thing,” Carmilla said, walking to the couch and taking a seat. “I think I’m going to meet up with her.”

Angela turned off the TV. “Carmilla, are you sure? You’ve only thought about it for a week; you could take more time.”

Carmilla shook her head. “I think I’ve almost fried my brain with all the thought I’ve been giving this. It’s just a meeting and it doesn’t have to be anything beyond that if I change my mind afterwards. I mean, what’s the worse she could do? Leave me? She’s already done that.”

“Carmilla,” Angela chided, although there was nothing but worry in her voice.

“Mom, I’m making a joke. It’s fine.”

Dennis gave her a reassuring smile. “If that’s what you want to do, we’re behind you. We'll contact her after the holidays.”

Carmilla nodded and got up to start walking to her room, before stopping and turning to face Dennis and Angela again. “Uh, you guys know that just because I’m agreeing to see her doesn’t mean I feel like I’m missing anything in my life, right? You two are my parents and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Angela looked at her fondly. “We know, honey. You’re our girl and nothing will ever change that either.”

Carmilla bowed her head down slightly to hide her smile, a little overcome with emotion, and continued heading to her room. “Ok, cool.”

*****

**Carmilla:** _I miss you._

**Laura:** _I miss you, too, you sap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know I said in last chapter’s note that I’m the worst but I think I actually really mean it now since I haven’t updated in 9 (9!!) months, which makes me the actual worst. I started this chapter when I finished the last one but it’s been a hell of a writer’s block. You have no idea how relieved I am to finally post this.
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think. What actually encouraged me to write again was reading through the chapters and all your comments again – it reminded of why I enjoyed writing the story. So if you think your comments don’t help, they really do. Thanks for sticking around, if you’re still here.
> 
> I don’t know when the next update will be (hopefully not 9 months from now) but just know that I’ll be working on it, no matter how slow I go, and I won’t abandon the fic without giving you guys a heads up.


End file.
